The Unlucky Luckster And The 77th Class
by Veos G17
Summary: Makoto Naegi - 'lucky' student. Average boy. Harem King? Makoto can't explain it, but the 77th class are obsessed with him - even the teacher. This is his daily life as he tries to deal with the craziness having a harem of talented people brings. Non-despair AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone! This is a story that I've been wanting to write for some time now. Makoto Naegi is such a loveable character, I'm sure you'd all agree - so I wanted to see what would happen if the 77th class were obsessed with him! Antics will ensue. Shipping will occur. Naegi will die of love overload. Well without further adeau - enjoy!**

* * *

The Unlucky Luckster And The 77th Class.

Makoto Naegi - how would one sum up this young man? When considering the question, there's mainly one word that comes to mind.

'Average'.

Makoto Naegi was undeniably, undisputedly, and unironically well and truly average.

So why then, would someone so average, someone who's most distinctive personality trait is 'optimism', be in the position he was currently in?

That's the question that would not leave Makoto's mind as he was being chased through the hallways of Hope's Peak Academy.

"Why me why me why me why me!?" Makoto continuously muttered this under his breath, it becoming a mantra of sorts for him in light of recent events.

He stole a quick glance behind him as he continued to try to shake off his pursuers. They were persistent for sure - Makoto had been running for a good five minutes in an attempt to shake them, to no avail.

Ishimaru had almost fainted due to so many students running in the hall at once, and had chased them for a while to get them to slow down, but Makoto tried to drown out his shouts as he plotted the best route to escape.

Makoto turned a corner, ready to run down the corridor and find a new place to run to, but he stopped. His face was one of complete and utter shock. He was screwed.

A dead end.

'How can I be so unlucky!?' Makoto whined internally. There was nothing left to do. Nowhere to run. Accepting his fate, Makoto let his back slump against the wall, sliding down it. He was tired, and now he had no chance of escape he decided to give up.

Makoto was optimistic for sure, but he knew when to give up when nothing could be done. His chasers suddenly appeared before him.

Makoto braced himself.

"Just...please be gentle..."

As he closed his eyes, he could feel multiple pairs of hands pick him up.

"Oi - what the fuck do you think you're doing? Makoto's coming over my place to meet the family."

"Whaaaat? But Makoto is gonna go jam with Ibuki!"

"HA HA HA MAKOTO WILL BE JOINING ME FOR SOME TRAINING!"

"But I wanted to cook him a romantic meal - I promise I won't put TOO much aphrodisiac in this time. Well I won't promise but I'll consider it..."

"Know your place! Makoto and I will be watching scary movies together as we cuddle up on the sofa like traditional Japanese couples do!"

"A piece of garbage like me has no right to demand any of Makoto's time, but I won't let you all have him instead!"

"Makoto promised me he would be my model for my next photography session. Well he will promise once I ask him I'm sure..."

"Nuh-uh! Makoto is gonna go squish mr ant and his pals with me!"

"Oi Makoto! Let's go grab some grub! I know a place that gives huge portions!"

"You guys are all wrong - Naegi and I are going to go to the arcade together...I think."

"I wanted to show Makoto my new blueprints - we're gonna build a rocket together some day!"

"E-ehhhh? B-but I wanted to walk home with Makoto...he's always so nice to me. I was too presumptuous - I'm sorry! Please forgive meeeee!"

"Fools! It is my destiny to spend this day fighting against the demons of the dusk alongside Makoto! Reveal to them your hidden power my familiar!"

"Sorry young master, but Makoto and I will be practicing swordplay this evening."

"Makoto, tell these people that you will be spending your evening with me. I will treat you to any meal that strikes your fancy."

Makoto felt people grabbing at him from all sides, pulling at him like he was some sort of toy all the kids wanted to play with.

As he was trying his best not to black out, he heard all the students surrounding him say the same thing.

"Well? Who do you choose Makoto?"

Makoto gulped. He was only one guy. It wasn't like he could be in two places at once. He had to make a decision. The only problem was, he had no idea who to choose.

Things had been this way for a small while now. Upon entering Hope's Peak Academy, Makoto thought nobody would pay any real attention to him due to his 'talent'. He didn't believe he had a real talent - he had a talent for getting into trouble ever since he was a kid. He found it ironic in a way - if it were up to him he would call himself the Super Highschool Level Unlucky Student.

Contrary to what he expected, for some reason even unbeknownst to him, his upperclassmen in the 77th class took an immediate liking to him. It all started when Makoto was chosen to deliver some practice test papers to their class, (Makoto was often chosen by the teachers to be their delivery boy - yet another example of his terrible luck at play) once he entered the classroom, he somehow tripped over a shoelace that had suddenly came loose, dropping the whole stack of papers, and face-planting on the ground in front of everyone.

The entire class burst out in laugher - even the imposter and Nanami chuckling to themselves. Makoto was so embarrassed - he was convinced that they all thought that he was an idiot. However, he was completely wrong. Combined with the fact that he continuously apologised for a whole minute while frantically trying to pick up the fallen papers was endearing to the 77th class.

His next visit to the class to deliver permission slips for a class trip resulted in Makoto falling again, this time landing face-first into Chisa. Chisa laughed it off, but Makoto had the biggest blush they had ever seen on his face.

He became a mascot of sorts for the 77th class. 'Our unlucky Makoto' they called him - not in a cruel or mocking way, but in a loving way that showed their endearment towards him. Every time he entered their classroom all of their days would be brightened up just a little bit by whatever unlucky antics he would find himself caught in the middle of. The students and Chisa each looked forward to the times he would come to their class so much that they decided to ask Makoto to spend breaks with them first. Then lunches. Then after school. The desire for Makoto's attention only grew once they each got to know him for the kind and modest boy he was - each wanting to spend all their free time around him.

Back to his current predicament, Makoto began to open his mouth in response, before a loud voice jolted him from his daydream.

"That's enough you guys! I'm disappointed in all of you! Poor Makoto isn't your toy to play with whenever you want - you all need to consider what it is that HE wants to do." Chisa's stern lecture made the students consider their actions, apologetic looks on their faces.

Chisa saw this and smiled. "I'm glad you all understand. Now if you'll excuse us, Makoto and I will be leaving." Chisa quickly grabbed Makoto, picking him up bridal-style and making a dash for the nearest exit.

"Hey! Come back here!"

"You tricked us!"

"Makotoooooooo!"

Makoto could hear the yells of the 77th class students as they tried to catch up to them. He sighed, all this attention was tiring him out.

Chisa noticed this and smiled down on him as she ran. "You can take a nap if you like, Makoto." Surprisingly Makoto felt sort of comfortable in this position, despite it being bridal style - which was sort of embarrassing for him. Nonetheless, he let out a yawn before closing his eyes, the shouts of the students getting fainter.

"Wake me up when my life goes back to normal."

* * *

 **So, what did you guys think of the first chapter? I'm thinking of making some chapters based off Makoto and one other student spending time together, as well as the class as a whole - if you have any suggestions of who you'd like to see Makoto spend his time with first then go for it! Hopefully I'll be able to update this story fairly consistently - and so far I'm having fun writing it. I'll see you guys in the next chapter! Peace out!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! Thanks a ton for all the follows, favourites and reviews. They mean a ton and give me the inspiration to write more! I'm really glad you all enjoyed the first chapter, so here's chapter two! Now to address a thing or two before we dive in:**

 **Izuru would expand the harem but he's too busy expanding memes (I know that joke is overused but he was asking for it when he said it).**

 **In all seriousness though I'm definitely including Hajime at some point - he is my favourite character of the series after all.**

 **Also I really liked the ideas that you guys suggested regarding the 78th class reacting to all this, so I've decided to include it in the story. If any of you guys have any more good ideas like that I would love to hear them!**

 **So in response to the demands: Chisa Yukizome is first. Not first to die like in DR3, just first to have Makoto to herself. They're just gonna hang (just like she did in DR3). Kidding kidding haha. This story will have no murder or death whatsoever. So with all of that said, hope you all like this chapter. Enjoy!**

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The Unlucky Luckster and the 77th Class - Chapter 2

Lunch time. While other students were relieved whenever the bell signalled their break, Makoto was tense. Anything could happen - anyone from the 77th class could burst in to his classroom at any time and simply pick him up and walk out. The part that was the most depressing to Makoto was that this was becoming more and more commonplace for him. He didn't even complain about it as much as he used to - he just let it happen mostly. However, when it came to the students fighting over him, he tended to run as far away as possible.

The 77th class had tried to implement a 'first come, first serve' approach to Makoto's attention - it didn't work. They tried making reservations for Makoto's time, splitting up his day into segments that they would have his undivided attention during. Again, it didn't work.

It seemed that Makoto was destined to be fought over for the duration of the 77th class' time at Hope's Peak.

Makoto couldn't even turn to their teacher to try to have some sense talked into the students. Makoto had no idea how or why, but she too was infatuated with him. Speaking of, Chisa Yukizome, the homeroom teacher of Class 77, swung open the door to Makoto's classroom.

Makoto's classmates looked at him in pity - most of the students with a 'here we go again' look on their faces.

"Miss Yukizome? I-Is something wrong?" Makoto knew very well that there was an ulterior motive behind her sudden visit. He was dense, but not THAT dense.

Chisa had a look of urgency on her face. "Quick Makoto - I ended class 5 minutes early to get a head start but I think they're on to me. Let's go!" Chisa ran up to Makoto, once again picking him up bridal style.

"Miss Yukizome! Not in front of my class!" Makoto blushed furiously. Chisa was savouring every bit of his reaction, blushing herself over how embarrassed and helpless he looked.

Instead of walking out of where she entered - the door, Chisa carried Makoto over to the window, opened it, and jumped out.

They were on the third floor.

"Wait Miss Yukizome I'm not prepared for this please waiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!" Makoto's heart practically stopped as the teacher jumped out of the window. He thought for sure that they would both die, but Chisa landed on a branch of the tree outside the building, and then jumped to the ground.

She stood there for a moment, checking if Makoto was still alive. He had seen his entire life flash before his eyes. Most of it was him trying to escape the advances of his upperclassmen.

"Makoto, dear? Are you okay?"

Makoto was about to question the whole 'dear' thing before a chorus of cheers and wolf whistles emanated up from his classroom.

Most of his classmates were watching his predicament with wry smiles - entertained by the fact that their shy classmate was being put into such a position.

"Have him back before last period teach!" Aoi Asahina joked from the window.

Chisa smiled back up at her, putting her thumb up.

"Will do!"

And with that, she was off.

* * *

"Miss Yukizome? Where are we going?" Still being carried in her arms, Makoto looked up at her with a questioning look.

It wasn't that he had any objections to spending time with Chisa, on the contrary, he found her upbeat and cheerful attitude to be fun. At first he found it difficult to relax around her, but after a few encounters he realised that he didn't have to act so tense around her - even if she was a teacher.

"Please Makoto, how many times do I have to remind you? When we're alone you can call me Chisa." Makoto's blush returned to his face. He could tell that Chisa was teasing him again. That was a hobby of hers it seems.

"O-Okay Miss - eh...um...Chisa." He whispered the last part of the sentence, but Chisa had managed to just make it out.

"Hmhm that's more like it. As for where we're going, I thought we could have a little picnic if that's okay with you Makoto?"

As she said this, Chisa lifted up a picnic basket, seemingly out of nowhere, gesturing to it.

"Hmm? I didn't even notice you were carrying that."

After reaching a quiet grassy area not too far from campus, Chisa reached inside the basket, pulling out from it a blanket. Once she set it down, she carefully placed Makoto on top of it and sat across from him

She had chose this secluded location so even Akane, who could smell food from a few blocks away wouldn't find them. As the 77th class frantically searched for Makoto, each student calling his phone and sending text upon text asking where he was or if he was hurt, Makoto was oblivious to all of it.

"I'm surprised you made this for me. I'm getting pretty excited." Makoto smiled kindly at her, thankful that she went to such lengths for such a normal person like him.

"Well I am the former Super High School Level Housekeeper. I know my way around making lunches. Dig in." Chisa gave Makoto a radiant smile. He was so captivated by it that he didn't even realise that he hadn't responded yet.

"O-Oh, yeah don't mind if I do. Thank you." Makoto stumbled over his words slightly as he reached out a hand to accept the chopsticks Chisa held out to him.

The lunch itself looked good. Makoto woke up late this morning, skipping breakfast in the process, so he was pretty hungry to say the least. He had to make sure he wasn't drooling from the sight of the spread Chisa had prepared.

Chisa watched Makoto eat in anticipation. Her heart practically stopped.

"So...what do you think?"

"It's really good!" Even if it didn't taste good, Makoto would've lied to protect her feelings, but luckily for him the food tasted great.

"I'm so glad! I got up early to make it and I poured a whole lotta love into it!" She smiled widely, her heartbeat picking up fast from her excitement.

"Haha well it shows for sure. Thanks a lot Chisa." Makoto returned a smile towards her - it was a simple action, but it's purity had a profound effect on Chisa.

Despite being a teacher - Chisa was blushing like a high-school girl. She placed her hands on her cheeks, feeling the heat the blush was giving off.

Fearing she wouldn't be able to restrain herself from tackling Makoto in a hug if she looked at his smile again, Chisa's eyes were planted firmly on the ground.

"O-oh. No problem Makoto. Anytime."

The two continued to eat lunch together on what Chisa called their first date, much to Makoto's chagrin.

* * *

Unbeknownst to Makoto, in his absence the 78th class held a class meeting.

"It has come to my attention that the 77th class are taking Makoto from us! Before today, I was not concerned that this would be a reality - but that teacher has confirmed our fears!"

A few students nodded in agreement.

"We must plan our counter-attack!" Ishimaru yelled.

The proposal was met with shouts of approval.

Aoi looked dumbfounded. "Wait...so earlier...that teacher isn't related to Makoto? That was a d-date!?"

The rest of the class sighed at Aoi's obliviousness.

Togami stood up, gaining the attention of the rest of the room. Most of the students expected him to dismiss this all as a waste of time and leave.

"That class will rue the day they try to claim Makoto from us." Nobody expected him to say that.

Kyouko Kirigiri followed suit, standing from her chair.

"I agree with Togami. However, we must not make our plans obvious. We will wait until they aren't expecting it, and then we will show them that Makoto is ours."

This was the first time anyone had ever heard Kyouko say so much at one time. She was clearly invested in the cause.

Naturally, Sayaka stood up too. She was fairly protective over Makoto, and was beginning to get jealous over the 77th class' constant flirting and monopolising.

"Right! Makoto is mine - OURS, sorry slip of the tongue. Makoto belongs to all of us." It was very clear what Sayaka's true motivations were - she wanted Makoto all to herself. For the time being however, the 78th class needed to band together in order to reclaim their spikey-haired comrade.

The class all agreed to wait until an opportune time to strike, and such a time was approaching them fast. Next week was sports day - the day where Makoto, alongside the rest of his class must face off against the 77th class. They would show them all publicly that Makoto belonged to them.

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 **Why are the students of the 78th class so protective of Makoto? Who will Makoto spend his much sought after time with next? I guess all that stuff will be answerd in the next chapter! Please give your suggestions on who Makoto will be spending his Sunday with during the next chapter! This chapter was claimed by Chisa due to the majority of people wanting to see her, so I think it's fair that we count out Chisa for the next chapter. Unless you guys all REALLY REALLY want her. Well, I look forward to seeing you all again in the next chapter (tomorrow hopefully). Don't forget to review and all that jazz if you feel like it! Peace out!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey everyone! Like always, I really appreciate all of your reviews - suggestions for who Makoto should spend his time with as well as ideas for the overall story. I really enjoy reading them. Soooo the student with the most requests for this chapter is none other than everyone's favourite gamer - Chiaki Nanami. That means that Makoto will be spending his day off with her - let's see how this turns out. If your heart is weak to copious amounts of fluff and cuteness - turn back now. You've been warned. Enjoy!**

* * *

It was Sunday.

While most students spent a fair amount of time planning activities for their day off, Makoto never had to worry about that. Just like always, someone from the 77th class would knock on his dorm room door and practically kidnap him for the day.

Not that Makoto minded all that much. It wasn't like he disliked the 77th class, it was just sometimes they could overwhelm him a little.

And on this rare occasion - he would have double the amount of free time taken from him. Classes on Monday were cancelled due to a mandatory staff-wide training day. Apparently some teachers and staff members (certainly not one fedora wearing scout who had a tendency to drink during the day) had had complaints regarding their conduct, prompting Jin Kirigiri to organise such an unconventional day.

Makoto was always on edge on Sunday mornings - he knew at any second Ibuki could break his door down again or Nekomaru would announce his arrival by yelling so loud that it woke up any of the still sleeping students.

A small sequence of knocks made Makoto rise from his bed, heading over to the door. He already knew who was waiting before for him before he even opened it - the knocks being arranged into the popular tune of a certain cap-wearing plumber. There was only one person he knew who would do that.

Slowly unlocking and opening the door, Makoto didn't even open his eyes to check as he spoke.

"Morning Nanami."

She smiled up at him in greeting, clad in a white shirt, a skirt, and a hoodie with cat ears on the hood.

"Hey Naegi - let's go to the arcade together! They just got a new Street Puncher machine!"

The girl was clearly enthusiastic, the subject of video games exciting her greatly. Makoto couldn't help but be swept away by her infectious enthusiasm.

A large part of Makoto was glad it was her that came today - Chiaki was a kind girl who he knew that if he declined her offer, she wouldn't complain or try to make him feel sorry for her until he gave in. He could never say no to sad people - and people like Ibuki and Sonia knew exactly how to play that part of him like a fiddle.

Makoto took a moment to consider the offer, Chiaki watching with great anticipation.

"Yeah, sure that sounds fun. Give me a second." Chiaki's face lit up as she hummed a little victory tune from a video game.

Makoto grabbed his usual green coat, cladding it, and picking up his wallet as he left. It was a good job that he just got his allowance sent from his parents for the week, because he knew that most of it would be gone by the end of the day from multiple plays on the arcade machines.

As soon as Makoto locked his door, Chiaki grabbed Makoto by the wrist, causing him to splutter in confusion and embarrassment from the sudden action.

"C'mon Naegi - let's go level up our relationship together!" Makoto knew that was a joke on the part of the gamer, and offered a slight laugh in response, trying to keep up with her brisk pace.

Sayaka heard Makoto leaving his room, quietly opening her own door to peek out at whoever had claimed Makoto's Sunday for the umpteenth time.

Sayaka considered Chiaki as a dangerous rival - not only was she cute, but she also loved video games - qualities that most boys would die to find in a girlfriend. Even Makoto, who was by no means an avid gamer still played from time to time, so Sayaka knew that there was no chance Makoto would be bored on their little 'date'. She knew that she had to find some other way in order to make the prospect of spending time with Chiaki sound unpleasant to Makoto, but didn't know what exactly to do. Nonetheless, Sayaka quietly locked her own door after grabbing a hat and sunglasses in disguise, stepping out and following a fair ways behind the two.

* * *

Considering how the school wasn't situated too far away from the arcade, the two decided to walk, saving their precious coins that would give them a few extra plays on the machines in return. As they walked, they discussed various games - Chiaki being more knowledgeable on the subject as expected, but Makoto still managing to hold his own in the conversation.

"No way Nanami - it has to be the water temple, that place had me stuck for hours!" Makoto exaggerated his point by emphasising the 'hours' part of the sentence, of course being untrue. He really meant days - but didn't want to admit that to the gamer as he would have felt slightly embarrassed.

"That's because you had no idea what you were doing." She laughed while sending a wink his way. Makoto knew that the action wasn't anything to look deep into, but couldn't help a shade of crimson briefly appear on his cheeks.

Standing behind a lamppost no to far behind, Sayaka noticed Makoto's reaction and grinded her teeth together in frustration. It was unlike her to be jealous of someone, but when it came to Makoto, Sayaka refused to let anyone come between her and him. Of course, she couldn't just outright disrupt the pair - she ran the risk of making Makoto think less of her (though she knew that the kind boy likely wouldn't). However, it wasn't something that Sayaka wanted to test. Instead, she decided that performing recon was the best course of action, perhaps pretending to bump into the two by accident and suggesting to join them. Makoto would of course allow her, giving her a chance to put distance between him and the gamer.

* * *

After a while, the two students arrived at their destination. Chiaki was practically beaming - the arcade being her favourite place to go in town. Seeing her so happy from something so simple, Makoto couldn't help but smile.

"Let's go in - first game's on me." Makoto kindly offered, knowing that they would be there for a while.

"Really!? Let's go let's go!" This time, Chiaki grabbed Makoto's hand with her own playing it off as if it were nothing. Makoto couldn't notice, but the action actually made Chiaki blush as well as him. She didn't know why she was being so bold today - an action that was usually unlike her. She considered the thought that she simply wanted to touch Makoto, but entertaining such thoughts only served to make her blush appear more prominently on her face.

Sayaka had almost snapped her sunglasses upon witnessing the act - only just restraining herself from doing so. She reminded herself that she was in public and had to act accordingly, lest her cover be blown. If that were to happen, it would be 'game over' as Chiaki would say.

Upon entering the arcade, Makoto was surrounded by a multitude of different machines - from fighting games, to shooters, as well as claw machines. The vibrant atmosphere and dim glow from the different games gave Makoto a nostalgic feeling - it had been far too long since Makoto had been to an arcade, and he was happy to have a reason to return.

It was fairly busy - the new Street Puncher machines attracting the bulk of the attention of the people present. The rest of the arcade only had a handful of people spread throughout. The pair began to make their way over to the crowds of people who were playing the game that they had came for.

"Oh, that's cute." As they walked past the claw machine, Chiaki pointed her finger at a small cat plushie resting inside the large box.

Makoto stopped, Chiaki not noticing right away, heading towards the new Street Puncher machines she was so excited to try out.

"Hm? Naegi? Is something wrong?" She asked with a slight concern in her voice. Makoto shook his head to show this wasn't the case.

"Oh it's nothing - I'll just be over here for a little bit - I'll come join you when I'm done." Makoto smiled sheepishly, hoping she wouldn't see through him.

Chiaki didn't know what got Makoto acting nervous, but decided to brush it off so as to not pester him.

"Okay. Promise you'll play some rounds with me after, Naegi?"

"Haha yeah I promise Nanami." She gave him a small wave as she headed over to play her first round of many on the new arcade machine - yen at the ready.

Makoto faced his new adversary with confidence. After examining it for a few moments, he stepped forward.

He put his yen into the machine and focused. The claw moved over to the plushie he was aiming for, seemingly having closed around it perfectly. Makoto grinned. He had this.

Or so he thought.

The machine gave a pitiful attempt at picking up the plushie, before releasing it and returning to its original position.

"Eh?" Makoto was dumbfounded for a moment. He was sure that he had maneuvred the claw correctly. Slightly annoyed, Makoto placed another coin inside the machine, giving it another attempt.

'This time for sure!' Makoto thought with optimism.

Again, he failed.

Makoto found it ironic that if she had really wanted it, Chiaki could've won the plushie for herself with ease. Makoto was determined to win - he wouldn't give up. It wasn't just about getting Chiaki the plush, but it was also for his own pride. Makoto never really concerned himself with 'pride' before. He didn't really get it whenever Mondo mentioned 'a man's pride', but he finally understood now. He wouldn't let the claw machine beat him. No matter how many tries it took - how much of his yen it consumed, he wouldn't let it make him fall into despair. He held only hope towards the prospect of sometime finally winning the plushie.

Over and over he tried. He began to get worried that Chiaki was becoming impatient with him, but he couldn't give up after coming so far. Just a little more. Just a little more, and he'd win it.

He was nearing the end of his coins. Makoto held strong. In the end, his unshakeable will had won out over the machine - with Makoto just barely managing to get the claw to push the plushie over the edge. He had one. He felt like crying for some reason, but held back his tears. There was no use in lamenting the loss of his comrades, all the coins he had used to secure his victory. It would be all worth it, he was sure.

Chiaki had taken a short break from the Street Puncher machine to see what was causing the hold up, with her almost bumping into Makoto who began to make his way over to her. For a moment, there was silence between the two.

"Um...here." Makoto held out the proof of his struggles toward her, her hands slowly grasping around it once she understood it was for her.

She seemed momentarily shocked as she had realised that Makoto had continuously tried to win the plushie for her once she had offhandedly mentioned it in passing. His kindness towards others never failed to astound her - alongside his infectious smile.

"I'm happy...I think...thank you Naegi." Chiaki smiled as she hugged the plushie close to her chest. Makoto was glad she liked it - making his struggle all worth it.

With the money he had remaining set aside for the arcade, he followed Chiaki over to the Street Puncher machines, luckily finding two that were available, beginning to play some rounds against her.

After Makoto had used up the remainder of his coins, he heard his stomach rumble. Chiaki giggled, with hers responding in suit right after. It was now Makoto's turn to laugh.

"Let's go get something to eat - I know a nice cafe not to far from here."

She nodded in affirmation, liking the sound of that idea - she needed to refuel so she could play more games later. Just like characters in a side scroller who pick up some sort of fruit or meal to restore health.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sayaka was surrounded by a whole hoard of people. Before she could tail them into the arcade, she had not been paying enough attention to her surroundings, bumping into a passerby.

The man had opened his mouth to scold her for her clumsiness, but any semblance of anger was replaced with a loud gasp.

"It's - it's Sayaka Maizono!"

Sayaka looked up in shock, before realising that the bump had not only caused her hat to fall off, but also her sunglasses, leaving her identity completely exposed.

All of the people in the area turned their heads in disbelief. They stared for a few seconds, before they began a chorus of screeches and screams, clambering over each other to get close to her.

Having finally satisfied the crowd through numerous pictures and autographs, re-applying her disguise, Sayaka checked for her targets' location. She checked the whole arcade from top to bottom.

Sayaka looked all around. Nothing. They were gone.

"Huh? Where did they go!?"

* * *

The two finished their day out together by returning to the academy, sitting on a bench together next to the water fountain. Chiaki pulled out her console, Makoto doing the same, having planned ahead accordingly, grabbing it on his way out. He knew it would probably end with this, and it was exactly the way he wanted to end his day.

The sunset gently illuminated the area as the two sat side-by-side - the close proximity becoming more and more apparent to Makoto as Chiaki began to slightly lean on him. Instead of protesting the action out of embarrassment, Makoto simply focused all of his attention on the game, trying not to think about Chiaki.

No matter how many times Chiaki inevitably beat Makoto (even going easy on him most of the time) he always laughed as he began the next game with renewed vigour. It was clear that he was having fun even despite his losing streak.

"You're amazing Nanami - I don't know how you do it really. You're really skilled for sure." Makoto smiled at her as he said this, causing Chiaki's heart to skip a beat.

"You're not so bad yourself." She retorted with the same smile, directed at him. Makoto knew that this wasn't true, and that she was just being the kind girl she is, but he still felt happy that she would try to cheer him up, even if he didn't particularly need it.

They began to start up the next round, before Chiaki paused the game, turning her attention to Makoto, looking him in the eyes with seriousness.

"Naegi. Let's make a bet."

"A bet?" Makoto was confused - he had no more money to place a bet on their game - and even then he knew he would probably lose.

Chiaki nodded. "Mhm. And if I win..."

'More like WHEN you win' Makoto thought.

She continued after a small pause to consider what it was she was going to propose.

"...you have to call me Chiaki from now on." She mumbled the last line, but it was still audible.

Makoto slightly blushed at the prospect. He wouldn't have thought that she had wanted him to call her by her first name so much. He considered the prospects of what this could mean for a second, again opting not to look too deep into it.

"What do you want if you win Makoto?" Chiaki avoided making eye-contact with the boy, glancing at him from the corner of the vision.

Makoto laughed. "Hmm lets see..." He would at least entertain the thought. He came up with something he would want to make a bet for, feeling slightly embarrassed as he said it. "...if I win, you have to call me Makoto from now on." Makoto gave a sheepish smile, the gamer looking surprised by Makoto's statement.

"Deal."

The game started, both of them giving their all.

A draw. The timer reached zero with both of the players having the same amount of health remaining. Makoto was confused. If she had truly wanted to, Chiaki could've wiped the floor with him. So why did the match result in a draw? Unless...she made it end this way on purpose?

"Oh, it's a draw. I guess we both win our bets then." Makoto was about to question the clear contradiction in logic, but stopped when he looked at Chiaki's face. It was clear to him that she too, understood what was strange about the statement, but her vivid blush gave away her true intentions.

Makoto flashed her his biggest smile as he spoke.

"Guess we did. We should play again sometime, Chiaki." His own boldness surprised even himself as he studied her face for a reaction.

'His smile really is infectious...' Chiaki couldn't help reciprocating Makoto's smile. She even giggled a bit over the whole situation.

As the two sat there in comfort for a few moments, they noticed it was beginning to get dark. They had to head back.

"Well, thanks for today. I had fun. Let's do it again sometime. I-I mean if you want to, that is..." He began to feel shy as he reached the end of his sentence, but Chiaki put his doubts to rest with a nod.

"See you later Makoto!"

"Yeah, later Chiaki!"

Makoto waved goodbye to her, Chiaki doing the same back. Makoto smiled to himself as he walked back to his dorm room.

"Today was a good day."

* * *

 **That turned out waaaay longer than I thought I would, but I was ill from school today so I had the whole day to work on it. Glad I did too - I had fun. Remember to vote for who you want Makoto to spend time with next, he'll have one more interaction with someone from the 77th class before sports day begins, which will take up a chapter or two. Makoto has one more day left of his long weekend, so vote for who you want to see! Hope you guys all enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see you all in the next one. Peace out!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey everyone! I really wanna thank you all for all the support this story has been getting thus far - I'm actually pretty amazed by it. As always your comments are a pleasure to read, and the follows and favourites are always greatly appreciated, as it lets me know you guys wanna see more! And more I shall deliver. Also, if I haven't used an idea that's been suggested to me, don't worry, because odds are that I will end up using it, and if I do I'll give credit where credit is due. Also we've finally got a cover picture guys! (Except it's just a crappy picture I drew hahaha)**

 **So for today's chapter, the votes were pretty close - it was between Ibuki, Fuyuhiko, Mikan and Sonia. In the end our favourite Novoselic princess barely won out over her competitors and claimed the limelight for this chapter! I think. I may have counted wrong. Don't sue me please. Anyway, hope you like it. Enjoy!**

* * *

It was Sunday evening - Makoto had just returned from the cafeteria after eating dinner a while ago. As usual, the 78th class formed a protective barrier around Makoto, making it so no one from the 77th class could steal Makoto away from them unless they wanted to deal with Sakura, Mondo and Mukuro. Akane, Nekomaru and Peko had attempted it before, but Makoto managed to calm everyone down with his words before anything got too out of hand. He knew that eventually the two classes would fight - tensions were high and it was seeming inevitable.

Sayaka didn't help this today, as she made sure that the 78th class was watching as she playfully kissed away a stray piece of rice from Makoto's cheek - much to his embarrassment. Seeing Makoto so red and Sayaka so smug made even the more calm students of the class almost lose it.

"Fiend! That you would taunt us knowing we can do nothing in retaliation! I shall use my dark powers to cast a curse on you, vixen!" Gundham as well as a few other students spoke up in anger, but in the end nothing too worrisome happened.

* * *

Makoto flopped onto his bed with a sigh escaping from his lips. All he wanted was for everyone to get along. He cared about the students in both classes, but when it came to Makoto, neither class was willing to give in on the matter. There was a rivalry there for sure.

A note slipped out from under his door. Disrupting his thoughts. Even though it was late, why didn't the sender just knock on his door? Makoto had multiple questions running around in his mind that only the contents of the mystery letter could answer.

Carefully, so as to not damage the contents of the envelope, he peeled it open, pulling the note out from within.

Upon opening the note, Makoto first noticed that the message wasn't very long at all. In fact it was only a few sentences long.

It read:

 _To Makoto: I shall arrive in half an hour. Keep your door unlocked._

 _From your secret admirer._

Makoto didn't understand why whoever penned the letter had referred to themselves as his 'secret admirer', because clearly it wouldn't be as much of a secret when Makoto found out who they were when he saw them in half an hour.

Deciding he was overthinking this too much, he took a moment to analyse the handwriting. It was incredibly neat - in cursive no less. That narrowed down the possibilities to two people he knew. It was either Togami or Sonia - and it definitely wasn't like Togami to send such a letter, which left Makoto with only one answer.

"I got it! It's Sonia for sure!" Despite figuring out who had sent Makoto the letter, he still had no idea about the motivations behind it. Glancing at the digital clock on his bedside table, Makoto could see that it was around 10pm.

Deciding it would be best to at least hear what she had to say, (he didn't want Sonia to have any troubles after all, he cared about all of his friends deeply) Makoto unlocked his door, walking back to his bed to lay down until Sonia arrived.

In around 25 minutes, Makoto's door was flung open, revealing Sonia Nevermind, carrying a rather heavy looking bag.

"Hello Makoto! Bet you were not expecting me, were you? I am the 'secret admirer' from the letter. Are you surprised?" Makoto didn't have the heart to tell her that he had already figured out who penned the letter, so tried his best to form a 'shocked look' on his face.

"Aha! You are surprised! I knew it." Sonia smiled with clear glee. Even though he lied, to see Sonia so happy was more than enough to justify it.

"W-why are you here?" Makoto voiced the most prominent thought in his mind. He couldn't help but stutter due to his confusion in the matter.

Sonia's eyes sparkled as she spoke.

"We are going to have a sleep over!"

"...what?"

"It will be fun! We shall talk and watch movies and eat traditional Japanese snacks! It will be 'hella tight yo'. Makoto had to stop himself from laughing at Sonia's attempt of 'young people speech'. Besides, there was a much more pressing issue in what she had just said.

"M-miss Nevermind I-"

"Please Makoto, refer to me as Sonia - only my subjects back home in Novoselic refer to me by my last name." Sonia gave off a completely regal aura in everything she said and did. Makoto was slightly amazed.

"You really are a princess."

"But of course!" Sonia bent her arm, placing her other hand on her upper-arm - looking like she had accomplished something.

"Anyway, Sonia, we can't do this! If someone finds out we could be expelled!" The school was very strict when it came to these kinds of things. Makoto had no doubt in his mind that the two would be expelled at a moments notice if a member of faculty were to find out.

"I won't tell if you won't."

Makoto gave up arguing. He wasn't completely opposed to the suggestion, just concerned about the repercussions the two of them could potentially face.

"So...what movie are we watching?" Makoto knew that this wouldn't end well.

Sonia smiled sweetly - presenting a clear dichotomy of what next came out of her mouth.

"Blood and guts 3 - the 'bloodenning'."

Makoto gulped. A horror movie. He was terrible with anything scary.

"That's...a lot of blood..."

Trying not to think too much about the movie that was sure to traumatise him, Makoto grabbed a soda can that Sonia had brought for them, sitting down on his bed.

"I think I'll manage as long as no monsters jump out from the screen." He joked, Sonia of course not understanding it was said in jest.

"Don't worry Makoto! Of course I brought protection!" Makoto did a spit-take upon hearing this, his soda now adorning his walls.

"Wh-what!?" Makoto exclaimed in-between coughs.

Sonia held up a baseball bat that she had retreaved from her bag.

"If any monsters try to hurt you I'll 'send them packing'!"

He considered for a moment as to why Sonia had brought that with her. He assumed that it was because she knew how terrified Makoto was of horror movies, and so she brought it in order to make Makoto feel more safe. He never could really understand exactly why she did what she did - well, compared to Ibuki Sonia was much more predictable.

"Where did you even get that Sonia?"

"This?" She asked, pointing at the bat. "That boy in your class gave it to me - he offered to give me 'after school lessons'. I still do no understand why he put that last part in quotations however." Makoto rolled his eyes - Leon's pick up tactics as obvious as ever. Well, obvious to everyone but Sonia it seems.

Sonia placed the flat screen television she had packed on a round table situated from across Makoto's bed. It was taken from her own room, and Makoto was shocked at her preparedness for the evening's 'festivities'.

Not only had Sonia prepared this, but she had also prepared an assortment of snacks for the two of them, placing them on Makoto's bed, before turning the light off and getting in herself. Makoto moved over to accommodate her, but Sonia moved herself so that she was practically sitting on Makoto's lap.

"Um...Sonia? Don't you think...this is a little close?" She looked up at Makoto with a serious look.

"But snuggling up in bed and watching a movie together is exactly what young Japanese couples do - am I wrong?" Makoto sighed. It would be easier to just to accept the things that she was saying then to try to dispute them.

* * *

As the movie progressed, Makoto became more and more sure that he would need a therapist after this was all over.

Sonia would jump and squeal in excitement over the gory and shocking acts that were being shown. If Makoto didn't know that Sonia was a nice girl, he would've thought that she was a slight bit crazy to enjoy these kinds of movies so much. In fear, Makoto moved himself closer to Sonia without even realising it. She smiled slyly. Looks like her plan was working after all.

After the movie ended (much to the joy of Makoto) Sonia suggested that they play games next. Makoto wasn't expecting her to have twister in mind.

Makoto was so tired in the end, having spent the last few hours talking, playing games and watching movies, that all he could remember was falling onto his bed, succumbing to the soft embrace of his mattress.

He lied there for a few moments, Sonia next to him. There was a comfortable silence present between the two. Makoto decided to ask her something that until now, he felt that he wasn't able to.

"Sonia? Do you miss your home country?"

The sudden question had surprised her. She gave a nervous chuckle.

"A princess can not afford to feel such things, Makoto."

Sonia's smile wasn't the same as it usually was. Despite smiling, Makoto could tell that she was feeling somewhat sad. Makoto didn't like seeing her this way. He could tell that this issue was a prominent thought in her mind.

"Besides, how can I be homesick when I have you and all my wonderful friends by my side?" Sonia began to tremble slightly. It was at this moment when Makoto understood the true nature of her sudden visit.

Sonia felt alone.

Makoto's intuition was correct. Sonia had spent nights sobbing herself to sleep upon remembering her homeland - her family, and how far away there were from eachother. Makoto reached out to grab Sonia's hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"If you're homesick that's okay. And if you're sad, then that's okay too. You don't need to force that smile when you're around me." Makoto earnestly spoke, giving her a warm smile. Sonia was completely shocked. She hadn't expected him to see right through her so easily. However, Makoto's words resonated within her. She felty truly at peace for the first time in a long while since arriving in Japan.

Sonia offered the same smile back to Makoto - this time not forcing or hiding behind it in the slightest. Tears slightly welled up in her eyes as she spoke.

"Thank you Makoto. Thank you very much."

* * *

Makoto woke up at 1 PM the next morning. He had never woke up so late before - in fact, he had also never stayed up so late before.

He attempted to sit up, but found that something was weighing his left arm down. Checking to see what it could possibly be, Makoto almost had a coughing fit when he saw Sonia, fast asleep while leaning on his arm. Their faces were incredibly close, Makoto blushing furiously at the proximity. How did they get in such a position? Why did this happen? He was at a complete loss at what to do. Should he try to wake her? Makoto considered trying to go back to sleep, but he knew that there was no way he could sleep like this.

Makoto placed his right hand on Sonia's shoulder extremely lightly.

'Wow. Her skin is so soft...' Makoto was almost transfixed by this, before shaking the thought from his mind.

A few light pushes were enough to make Sonia stir slightly, before slowly opening her eyes.

"Good morning my prince." Sonia smiled, still slightly dazed.

Makoto gulped. He hoped that Sonia wouldn't call him that in front of the other students, lest it causes a huge misunderstanding.

Sonia sat up, moving herself off of Makoto's arm. Once the covers had moved off of her, it was then that Makoto noticed.

Sonia was wearing nothing but Makoto's hoodie over her - it only barely covering her. Makoto hoped she had some more clothes on underneath, but averted his eyes. He was absolutely stunned.

"S-Sonia...? Why are you...? My jacket...huh?" Makoto couldn't even form a coherent sentence. Sonia picked up on this, giggling at his reaction.

"I was too warm during the night, so I decided to change. Is this a problem?"

Makoto covered his face with his hands, but even his self-restraint had its limits, with Makoto peeking out from behind his fingers. If Souda was here he would've went crazy.

"Just - just get dressed quickly. Someone from your class could be here any minute!"

Sonia gave a small moan in protest to Makoto's suggestion, but she acquiesced. Sonia began to unzip Makoto's hoodie - it becoming increasingly clear to Makoto that she was wearing that and only that. Before he could see anything too risqué, Makoto practically jumped out of his bed, shoving his head underneath his bed frame. For such a modest girl, Sonia was worryingly too comfortable around Makoto.

"Please tell me when you're done." Makoto's request was practically a squeak, as he squeezed his eyes closed as tight as he could.

* * *

Sayaka almost fainted upon seeing Sonia leave Makoto's room, claiming that she had had 'a fun night with him', and winking when she suggested that they do it again.

She was furious. A large part of her wanted to report Sonia for such a clear violation of the school rules, but she knew that if she were to do so, Makoto would also be thrown under the bus. Sayaka growled in frustration - first Chiaki, now Sonia. She couldn't do anything to stop them from being with Makoto.

However, there was one thing that was consuming most of Sayaka's thought. Something that greatly intrigued her, yet terrified her at the same time.

What did they do last night?

* * *

Tuesday morning.

Sayaka almost slammed the door of her classroom behind her as she walked inside. As it was a little before school began, Makoto was currently being smothered by the 77th class as he tried to eat his breakfast. It was an unwritten rule that the 77th class had Makoto for breakfast, and the 78th class for dinner. That still did not always stop the students from fighting over Makoto even if it wasn't their turn to have him.

All the students present turned to look at the clearly angry girl. Her face looked like an angel, yet she gave off a feel of extreme malicious intent. She was naturally skilled at concealing her true feelings behind her smile, being an idol after all.

"I think now is a good time to put our plan in motion." She said sweetly. Of course, no further elaboration was required. Everyone in the class knew what she was referring to.

No one dared to question her reasoning behind this - even Togami and Kyouko accepted her suggestion. They could tell that something to do with Makoto had put her in this state, and that the fault lied within the 77th class. And so, the 78th class headed over to their enemy's home base.

* * *

"Huh? What are these losers doing in our classroom? I don't remember inviting a group of pathetic children." Hiyoko mocked the 78th class with no fear of any repercussion.

The Super Highschool Level Affluent Progeny stepped toward the front of the room, garnering the class' attention.

"We came to make a declaration of war to you Neanderthals." Togami, as always, didn't hold back in his insults.

Before the students could react, which Kyouko assumed could potentially begin a fight between the classes right then and there, she interjected.

"We are also here to make a proposition."

Celeste jumped in. "A bet - if you are willing to gamble that is." She gave the students a sly smile, before Kyouko continued on.

The students of the 77th class knew that the day would come when the two classes would go head-to-head over Makoto's affections. They were prepared for such a time.

"What do you say to that?" Kyouko saw no need to go into any details if the 77th class would outright refuse their proposal. She had a hunch that they would accept the proposition. She studied their facial expressions, each student looking determined.

"We'll do it." Chiaki stood up. As class president, she felt it was right for her to be the one to agree to it. Without having to use words, she could tell that her classmates backed up the decision.

Kyouko smiled ever so slightly.

"Very well then. Here are our conditions."

* * *

 **I actually had to re-write the chapter multiple times, as I first started writing an Ibuki chapter, but then Sonia got more votes sooooo yeah. Sorry Ibuki fans. Maybe next time? My favourite girl (Mikan) didn't win either, but I like Sonia too so no complaints here. The next chapter will be the school sports day - where the 77th class and the 78th class must face off against each other. And with that bet - what's gonna happen to Makoto!? I also noticed that people liked jealous Sayaka so she may make more appearances is this story...(you didn't hear it from me but she totally will).**

 **So, for this chapter, instead of submitting who you would like to see Makoto interact with next, I'd like to hear your ideas on the bet that the 78th class proposed to the 77th class if they beat them on sports day, and what the 77th class would receive if they beat the 78th class instead. I'd love to hear what kind of crazy ideas you guys can come up with. So, I guess I'll see you all in the next chapter then. Peace out!**

 **P.S: I'm currently planning on updating this story with one chapter each day on Monday to Friday. That's my goal anyway, and so far I've been able to keep up with it, so hopefully I'll be able to continue to do so, so please look forward to the next update!**

 **P.P.S: When Togami was calling the 77th class Neanderthals for some reason it auto-corrected to 'you Netherlands'. I apologise to anyone from the Netherlands for Togami using your country as an insult. Can we make this a running joke though please? See you next time you bunch of complete Netherlands ;)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry for not updating the past 2 days guys. I've been feeling pretty ill, so I decided to take a little break from writing and focus on resting up - and I also decided that it would be better to spend an extra day or so making sure I write a good chapter rather than rushing it and writing a bad one.**

 **Also thanks to hikarigaijin who raised a good point - I may not always be able to update every day, and a schedule like that could possibly burn me out. So for now I'm putting school first, and then I'll try to update daily. If I can't then I'll likely update the next day, so if there's no chapter for a day don't panic - it'll come.**

 **This will be the last update until Monday so I'll hopefully see you all again then. For now though, here's the chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

The awaited day had arrived.

The day where the two rival classes would finally clash was here. What would happen here would have a very large effect of the student's lives - the bet remaining fresh in everyone's minds, barring Makoto of course, who was none the wiser.

In Hope's Peak Academy it was customary for the first year class and the second year class to compete, with the third years being too busy preparing themselves for their plans for the future.

All the students in class 77 had their eyes set on one thing - victory. They steeled their resolves to win the proposed bet no matter what. Among the students of the class, 3 students had the rest of the class' hopes placed upon them. Akane, Peko and Nekomaru were the class' best chance of winning the events that would span the day. And if all else failed, the class even had a secret weapon prepared in the form of a certain unpredictable lucky student.

On the other side, class 78 were pinning their chances of success on Sakura, Mondo and Mukuro - the students being all-rounders, having a high chance of winning whatever events they would take part in.

Makoto did a few stretches, after wrapping a bandanna that said 'Go 78th class!' on it, prepared by Mondo as per the class' request. Apparently, being in a motorcycle gang and all, he knew a guy who custom made stuff like this. Of course, he called the request 'fuckin' dumb', until Makoto overheard the plans, expressing interest in the bandanas. Of course, then he was all for it.

When it came to sports day, Makoto looked forward to it at first. He was excited to spend time with each of his classmates - something he didn't have much time left to do in light of recent events.

However, now Makoto was in front of his classmates, (who were all discussing how hard they were going to crush the 77th class) he felt drained of his energy. Makoto desperately just wanted everyone to get along - but despite his protests, the feud continued.

Kyouko had told him once that it simply 'was not that simple', but Makoto had doubts in that statement. Yet despite how much he wanted everyone to get along - today was not a day where that would happen. Rather, quite the opposite.

The 77th class were holding a strategy meeting. Most of the students were paying attention to Chiaki's plans for the day - but some, such as Akane, were too impatient, and wanted to 'get to the part where we punch 'em already!'. After explaining to Akane that there would be no punching allowed, (much to her disappointment) Chikai finished her briefing.

* * *

The first event of the day was the 100 metres. It was a rule that each student in each class was required to participate in at least one event each - much to some students' frustration. It was also enforced that a student may only participate in a maximum of two events each - so that the more physically adept students were not to continuously dominate those who were less physically inclined.

Makoto had volunteered himself to be one of the runners in the 100 metres. Each class were to choose 3 students to participate, and points would be allocated accordingly depending on the positions of the students. Makoto felt that he would only be hindrance when it came to the other events, so he wanted to get his turn over with so that the rest of his class would be able to allocate their best students to the events that were worth more points.

Alongside Makoto for the event was Hifumi Yamada, (who had the same thought process as Makoto) and Leon Kuwata - who the class placed their hopes on, with Leon being a fairly fast runner due to his experience on the baseball field.

"We got this guys!" Leon stuck his tongue out, giving the two a thumbs up. Makoto and Hifumi both knew that he was trying to motivate them - but they were aware of what they could achieve, and victory certainly wasn't it.

Makoto had his sights set on 4th place. An average positioning, with an average amount of points accompanying it - completely achievable for someone as average as him.

As the trio made their was over to the track, they could hear their classmates cheering them on.

It wasn't an exaggeration to say that Leon felt like he was a celebrity - believing that it was only a short amount of time before he would have hoards of fans cheering him on once his music career takes off.

Of course, most of the cheers were directed toward Makoto. Even if he didn't, his classmates believed in Makoto's potential. Cheering also served to remind the 77th class exactly what class Makoto belonged to.

From the 77th class, the students that were to participate in the event were Teruteru Hanamura, the former Ryouta Mitarai, currently dressed as Togami to spite him (who the class knew to be an imposter once Makoto had given him the courage to admit to them) and Ibuki Mioda - well known for running just about everywhere she had to go.

It seemed that the 77th class had the same tactics as the 78th, sending two of their weaker members alongside one of their stronger contenders.

The imposter scoffed.

"Running is what you skinny types should be best at, correct? I have no need to participate in such a pointless event." As expected, when the imposter took on another persona, his personality changed to match his target perfectly.

Ibuki bounced on her heels, giggling.

"If Byakuya wins the race, Ibuki will treat him to as much food as he wants!"

"Be careful what bets you make. You might just come to regret them." Everyone could see that the imposter was looking pumped-up, with the promise of as much food as he could eat - for free on top of that.

The students got into position, tensely waiting until a blank was fired - indicating the beginning of the race. The students didn't have to run far, being only 100 metres, but to Teruteru and Hifumi, it was like miles.

Much to the complete surprise to everyone present, the imposter was contending with Ibuki and Leon for the lead. For such a large guy he was extremely light on his feet.

Leon glanced sideways, making contact with Ibuki, who gave a mocking smirk before pushing herself even further forward, overtaking Leon.

"Oh no you don't!" Leon ran faster than he ever had to at a baseball game - soon catching up to Ibuki. The two were neck-and-neck, with the imposter being far in front of the two.

At the last second, it was Leon's foot that had crossed the finish line before Ibuki's. It was almost too close to call, but 2nd place was claimed by the 78th class.

 **The results were thus:**

 **1st: (8 points) Byakuya Togami (imposter)**

 **2nd: (6 points) Leon Kuwata**

 **3rd: (4 points) Ibuki Mioda**

 **4th: (3 points) Makoto Naegi**

 **5th: (2 points) Hifumi Yamada**

 **6th: (1 point) Teruteru Hanamura**

 **77th class: 13 points**

 **78th class: 11 points**

* * *

Upon returning to their classes, the students were congratulated - with Makoto being paraded on Mondo's shoulders as the class cheered him and the others for their performance.

After a short celebration with his friends, Makoto was given some moments so himself. He sat down on the ground by the nearby vending machine. So far, it looks like the classes may just get through the day without having a huge fight.

Makoto's field of vision was suddenly filled with a blue sports bottle being dangled in front of his face. He looked up to see Sayaka smiling down on him.

"Here you go Makoto. Drink up." Sayaka's voice was as sweet as she was beautiful, which Makoto noticed being so close to her.

His outstretched arm reached for the bottle, hand weakly wrapping around it. Makoto was definitely dehydrated, and this was exactly what he needed right now.

"Thanks a ton Maizono - you're a life saver."

Sayaka playfully embraced Makoto from behind, whispering in his ear, causing him to shudder slightly.

"If it's you Makoto I don't mind if you call me Sayaka."

Too flustered by the sudden embrace, Makoto chugged the contents of the water bottle in an attempt to hide his embarrassment.

At the exact time this was going on, Nagito Komeada had decided to seek a vending machine to buy drinks for his classmates, but had gotten lost. Unluckily, he was the one who had to pay for all of the drinks, as per the random draw the class had set up. Luckily for him, he managed to stumble upon Makoto.

"Makoto, as always it's an honour for trash like me to be in the presence of someone as amazing as you!" Nagito glanced at Sayaka, who was still holding onto Makoto protectively, glaring at him.

Nagito chuckled slightly.

"Relax miss Maizono, I have no intention of prying Makoto away from you." As he said that, Sayaka's expression softened slightly, yet she still stayed on guard. Something about Nagito had always bothered her. Out of all of the students of the 77th class, he was the most unpredictable - not only in terms of personality, but in talent too.

"Oh, hello Komeada. Is there something I can do for you?" A delayed greeting, but a greeting nonetheless, Makoto endeavoured to not look too embarrassed over the position he was currently in.

He gave a mysterious smile.

"I just wanted to see you spend some of your last moments with your classmates, because after this, all of your time will be spent with us! Isn't that exciting? Well, it is for me at least."

With that, Nagito slightly bowed to the two, taking his leave, resuming his search for a vending machine.

"Huh? Sayaka, what is he talking about?"

"U-um...who knows with that guy? He's always talking in riddles, right?" Sayaka awkwardly laughed off the question, knowing that Makoto's reaction to finding out about the bet wouldn't be a good one.

Makoto decided not to press any further, standing up and dusting himself off.

"Well, let's make our way back Sayaka." He extended his hand to her, helping her up. Sayaka was reluctant to let go, and almost forgot to, with Makoto giving her a strange look in confusion.

* * *

Elsewhere, before the second event took place, the two sisters of the 78th class were having an argument.

"Sis you're obsessed about Makoto - all you ever talk about is wanting to kill him or make him feel despair." Mukuro expressed her concern over her sister with a somber expression on her face.

"I am NOT obsessed over that little idiot - what, you think cause I talk about my hatred of the brat that I'm a bitch in heat like you are!?" Junko followed up her shout with a kick to Mukuro. Being the Super High School Level Soldier, she could have easily dodged it, but instead chose to take the full force of the kick, flying backwards and hitting the ground.

"And if he thinks I'm a part of his little harem then I'll have to make sure to make it very clear to him exactly how I feel about him." Junko repeatedly kicked Mukuro in the posterior, much to the soldier's strange delight.

"Ugh. You're absolutely disgusting." Junko finished her tirade of kicks with one huge kick, sending Mukuro's face into the floor.

* * *

The preparations for the next event was underway. Following up from the 100 metres was the 500 metres - two and a half laps around the field. This time the two classes put forth their more stronger members, aiming to gain the points that came with first place.

The 78th class had decided to send out Mukuro Ikusaba, (who for some reason looked a little dirty, as if she had fell on the ground) Sakura Oogami, (whose leg muscles indicated exactly how strong of a contender she would be) and Kiyotaka Ishimaru - making up for the lack of running he did in the halls.

The 77th class had chosen to send out the obvious choice of Akane Owari, (quick and nimble being her speciality) Nekomaru Nidai, (to counter Sakura's presence) and Gundham Tanaka - who claimed that he had performed a ceremony of darkness before the race to increase his swiftness tenfold, in exchange for some of his life-force.

"Hey, has anyone seen Makoto? He's been gone for a while now." Sayaka looked around worriedly, fearing that a student from the 77th class may have kidnapped him.

Leon thought for a moment before replying.

"You know, now that you mention it, Enoshima's been gone for a while too. Really brings the vibe down when the class hottie isn't here..." Leon's statement was met with a glare from Sayaka. As always, he put his foot in his mouth.

"Ah - no, I mean, of course you're the hottest, Maizono - no competition there ha ha ha." Leon laughed awkwardly as he scratched the back of his head. He was proud of his quick save, but it seems Sayaka didn't particularly care what he had to say in his defence.

"Makoto..." Sayaka felt uncomfortable without him around - she just knew that something had happened to him. With his bad luck, it could've been anything. She decided to go and search for him - watching the race not being the highest priority at the present moment.

* * *

Junko Enoshima pushed Makoto up against the wall, holding him in place. Her arms were surprisingly strong - contrary to her appearance. She gave him a seductive smile - something that would usually excite a man, but in this case Makoto felt terrified.

What terrified him the most however, were her eyes. Those swirls of blue that were fixated on him, with a look of hatred, love, and everything in between.

If Makoto had to describe it in one word, it would be 'wrong'. Something was wrong with Junko Enoshima. She had always acted so upbeat and friendly - if not a little intrusive, but this was a side of her that Makoto had never seen before. And he sure as hell never wanted to see it again.

"I hate you."

Her words were cold. There was no emotion behind them. The voice that was usually laughing along with classmates - joking around, was now devoid of all feeling.

Makoto was confused. As far as he knew, he had never crossed Junko in the past. The times that they did converse, he was always polite, and she was always smiling. So why then?

"Why?" His question was short and sincere. Since he could not hazard a guess as to why she would hate him, he asked. Some part of him was hoping that Junko would smile in response, laugh and say 'got ya!'. He wanted this to be a joke. He wanted the bad feeling he got from looking into her eyes to be wrong.

"Your optimism. Your kindness. Your hope. I hate it all..." Junko's voice was a low growl - her teeth clenching.

"...huh?"

"You didn't hear me? Well then I'll repeat myself. I hate you I hate you I hate you I hate you I hate you I hate you I hate you I hate you I hate you I -" Makoto cut her off.

"Enough already Enoshima! I get it..." Makoto's face looked completely downtrodden. It wasn't that he expected everyone he came across to like him, but to hear someone who he thought was his friend claim that they had hated him all along - that was too much for him.

"But it's not that simple you know? My hatred of you extends so far beyond what you could even comprehend."

"I-it's not like I like you or anything. Idiot."

Her personality changed.

"How am I meant to make everyone fall into despair if you keep giving them that fuckin' hope of yours!?" Junko stuck her tongue out as a very intense expression appeared on her face.

Before Makoto could even react, she changed again.

"You're the worst Makoto ~" Junko's disposition completely changed again - her voice becoming much more high-pitched.

"Someone like you impeding me...that's really despairing..." Junko tugged on her hair, sounding depressed. Makoto didn't know exactly how but what looked to be mushrooms appeared on top of her head out of seemingly nowhere.

"Of course, a plan's success does not feel like a true accomplishment if there is no one present to oppose it." He didn't even see her put the glasses on or change her hair into a ponytail.

Makoto couldn't even tell who the real Junko Enoshima was anymore. His mind went back to all the times they talked. All the pleasantries they exchanged. All the laughs they shared. Fake. Each and every one of them.

"Aww, is Makoto afraid after seeing what I'm really like? I'd almost be sad if sadness was a thing I could feel."

He didn't understand why she was showing him this. Why now. With her analysis ability - no, she could tell just by looking at Makoto's face what he was thinking. He was an open book.

"If you're wondering 'why' I decided to tell you, it's that I can't stand watching your little rom-com escapades with everyone playing tug-of-war over you. I just had to say something - you're looking too happy lately."

Her eyes widened, boring holes into Makoto. His forehead was sweating profusely - his body was telling him to get out of there immediately.

She smiled widely, drawing her face in.

"I love how much I hate you Makoto."

And then she kissed him.

* * *

 **Thanks a lot you guys for the 90 follows and 6000 views! I'm amazed that we've already came this far and it hasn't even been a week yet!**

 **Think this chapter started the tournament arc off with a bang! (If you could even call it an arc, that is).**

 **Also thanks to everyone who suggested ideas for this chapter. As I suspected, your ideas were all interesting and creative, and I'm honestly sad that I can't choose to go with all of them.**

 **So now that I've asked you what you guys want the bet to be, (which will be revealed once it's all finished and a winner is decided) what I'd like to know is which class do you guys want to win and why? I'm really interested in hearing what you guys have to say on this, so I await your opinions!**

 **Also how about that cliff-hanger huh? I wonder what will happen next. No really, I wonder what will happen next because I haven't even decided myself yet. Well, guess that will be something for all of us to find out together! See you all in the next chapter. Peace out!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey everyone! Sorry I'm late - but here's the next chapter for all of your viewing pleasures.** **The next chapter should be the end of the sports day 'arc', so after that is concluded, votes for characters for Makoto to spend his time with will be open once again! Anyway, I hope you continue to follow this story on, and I thank all of you that have supported me in any way. Enjoy!**

* * *

The Unlucky Luckster and the 77th Class - Chapter 6

"Hahaha! How's that Makoto? I stole your first kiss! Doesn't that make you despair!?"

Junko Enoshima looked Makoto Naegi in the eyes - expecting to see a 'broken' look on his face - one that was in complete and utter despair.

She gasped slightly, taking a few steps backward once she had made contact. Makoto's bright green eyes were anything but dead. They shone brightly - completely unaffected by her attempts of causing him harm.

They were filled with hope.

"Why? Why aren't you feeling despair!?"

"Well, that wasn't even my first kiss, so..."

"What!?"

"We should get back - people are gonna wonder where we are. And I don't want anybody to misunderstand anything between us." Makoto excused himself, walking past Junko.

"W-what..."

Junko Enoshima, the Super Highschool Level Fashionista, had just been brushed off by Makoto Naegi. Average boy. Average talent. Average personality.

Junko's fist began to shake, as she sunk her manicured nails into it. She emitted a low growling sound, clenching her teeth.

"Oh my god...this...is so...despairing!"

Junko first brushed Makoto Naegi off as an annoying kid who was average and wouldn't amount to much. However, over time, she had noticed that in the face of any advisary, Makoto had always kept hopeful. He simply wouldn't give up when a normal human being would have already thrown in the towel much much before him. It annoyed Junko to no end. It intrigued Junko to no end.

Makoto Naegi - her ultimate rival. The only person who would and could challenge her despair. She both loved and hated him greatly. And the realisation that she loved him, only served to make her fall even deeper into despair.

* * *

Sayaka stared with eyes wide in horror. She had seen it. She had seen it all.

Well that wasn't completely true. To Sayaka, she had seen the whole of the event transpire, but in actuality she had just seen Junko and Makoto...

She shook her head profusely - hoping that the action would somehow erase her memory of the event. It was no use however, the picture of the act was cemented in her mind.

"Ah, hey guys! I'm back!" Makoto smiled and waved at his classmates as he nonchalantly strolled over to them.

After greeting his friends, Makoto made his way over to Sayaka, eager to hear the results of the race he had just missed.

"Sorry I'm late Sayaka! Would you mind telling me the results of the race I missed please?"

Sayaka walked past Makoto without so much as a wave. Makoto stood in place, mouth slightly agape.

"Ah - Sayaka?" The girl flinched slightly at hearing him say her name, but continued walking nonetheless. She just couldn't look at him right now. When she did, her chest tightened and she felt short of breath. It was painful for her to think about what she saw - to look into Makoto's eyes and see his piercing gaze - to speak to the boy who was acting as if nothing out of the ordinary had just occurred.

Makoto reached out his arm to grab Sayaka's wrist and confront her, but it seemed that it would be best to let someone in such a mood have some time alone. He felt bad that he wasn't able to help his friend with whatever was bothering her, but understanded that she needed space.

"Did...I do something wrong?"

"Heh. You can't always tell with some girls if you did something wrong or not. The most important thing is that to her, you did something bad." Leon, self proclaimed 'love guru' strolled over to Makoto, patting a sympathetic hand on his shoulder.

"Kuwata, are you sure you didn't say anything inappropriate to her?"

Leon looked slightly taken aback from the question, a clear sign to Makoto that this probably wasn't the first time someone had asked him this question today.

"No, I didn't! Well...not within the last half an hour at least..." Leon scratched the back of his neck, laughing nervously.

Makoto rolled his eyes.

* * *

The 500 meters had come to an end not long before Makoto had returned. He checked with Chihiro for the results, as Sayaka had strangely avoided him previously.

Apparently, a fierce rivalry between Ishimaru and Gundham had surfaced on the field - the two pushing themselves to their limits to keep up against one another. In the end, the two had crossed the finish line together so precisely that it couldn't be determined who had crossed first, thereby awarding both students with the same points.

As for the other runners, Mukuro Ikusaba had rushed the distance like it was nothing, clearly having much experience in clearing large areas in a short amount of time from all of her years in Fenrir.

As expected, Mukuro had secured first place for class 78, giving them a huge edge. Akane had managed to score second - only just managing to make it past the finish line before the two powerhouses had charged their way across.

Points:

1st: Mukuro Ikusaba (9 points)

2nd: Akane Owari (7 points)

3rd: Nekomaru Nidai (5 points)

4th: Sakura Oogami (4 points)

5th: Kiyotaka Ishimaru and Gundham Tanaka (3 points)

Class 78 total: 27 points

Class 77 total: 28 points

The scores were extremely close - only serving to heighten the tension and sense of urgency between the classes.

* * *

Next was the item race. The students participating in the event would have to seek out and find an item that corresponded to the item listed on their paper, and submit it to a judge. Again, points allocated varied on position achieved.

In this event, the 77th class decided to send Chiaki, Mahiru and Sonia. Due to the event not being particularly athletically challenging, the class chose students who were likely to be able to think on their feet.

The 78th class had chosen Celeste, Togami, (who complained to no end about his forced participation) and Kyouko - much like class 77 in choosing to put forth fairly calm and quick-thinking representatives.

When the event began, Chiaki, Sonia and Mahiru had ran over to the boxes which they were to draw from. Kyouko was walking slightly quickly, whereas Togami and Celeste were taking their time.

Makoto watched as his friends tried their hardest for their classes. He hadn't had the chance to cheer yet, so took the time to encourage everyone.

"Go guys! You can do it!"

The members of each class interpreted the cheer to apply to their class, each feeling slightly invigorated and driven to win - remembering what was at stake for losing.

Togami began to lightly jog - expending more effort than any student had seen him do in the past.

Celeste snapped her fingers. In a second, Hifumi was by her side.

"Give me a ride."

Wordlessly, Hifumi allowed Celeste to elegantly sit down upon his back, Hifumi now on all fours. A second snap of her fingers caused Hifumi to sprawl forward at an impressive pace. She had seemingly trained Hifumi to understand her gestures, which both impressed and disturbed those who were watching.

"Hey, isn't that...you know, cheating?" Mahiru voiced. The other students wouldn't deny that they were having the same thought, but it seemed the judges were not doing anything to stop it. Perhaps it was okay as Celeste was being 'resourceful'.

Celeste opened her paper, giggling slightly upon reading the item that she would have to seek. Ironically, she would have to do nothing of the sort, as she was currently sitting on what she required for victory.

"Something large." The judge glanced at Hifumi. "Yeah checks out."

"How cruel Celes-dono!"

"I suppose praise is in order. Ufufufufu." Celeste let out a slight laugh into her sleeve.

"Oh I am most humbled!" Despite being constantly berated by the gambler, Hifumi seemed positively elated to hear a form of praise from Celeste.

* * *

Elsewhere, the other students were still attempting to find a solution for their item requirements.

Sonia opened her folded paper.

"Something...cute?" Sonia thought aloud for a second, before coming to an obvious conclusion.

"Aha! I have it!" She rushed off in the direction of the 78th class - sights set on a certain Luckster that was able to make even stoic girls like Kyouko Kirigiri show signs of emotion and embarasent whenever he flashed a smile at them.

Sonia had often referred to Makoto as 'most cute', so she had no doubt that the officials would recognise her answer to the challenge.

"I got 'something spiky'." It seems that Kyouko had the same line of thinking, finding a solution to the challenge in mere moments - dashing toward Makoto. The ahoge Makoto sported would be perfect.

"Excuse me miss Nevermind, but I believe that I had claimed Makoto first. Kyouko gave a light tug on Makoto's left arm, drawing her towards him.

Sonia pulled back against his right arm.

"I am afraid you seem to be mistaken miss Kirigiri - it is I who will be taking Makoto with me.

"Agh - you guys are hurting me here..." In an instant the two girls dropped Makoto's arm, concern on their faces.

"Naegi are you okay? Do you require a trip to the nurse?"

"Makoto, I am sorry! Here - I will kiss the pain away!"

Makoto was bombarded with questions from the concerned girls. It was slightly out of character for Kyouko to show so much concern from something so trivial.

Of course, the reason for the two girls fighting over Makoto in this instance was due to the rule that nothing could be used for a solution twice. By the looks of it, neither girl was giving up, so Makoto saw himself being stuck here for a considerable amount of time. The two weren't the type for violence, and would most likely continue to tug on Makoto's arms while arguing with one another.

Mahiru face-palmed as she easily secured the required item for the race - her prompt being 'something sweet', borrowing a pack of gummi bears Hiyoko had on her.

Togami was having a little more trouble with his prompt. He began to sweat in frustration over not being able to see any solution for his predicament.

For usual students, this prompt would have been the easiest of all, but for Togami it was the most difficult demand he had ever been faced with.

Togami's paper read:

'A friend'.

* * *

Chiaki had no idea what to do. Her requirement was 'something bitter', but no student kept any sort of bitter snack on their person that she could borrow.

Chiaki looked around frantically for something - anything that fit the bill in the slightest. But then it hit her.

"...and why did you bring Touko Fukawa to us miss Nanami?" The judge raised an eyebrow.

"It's simple. Her personality is bitter."

Touko gave Chiaki a scowl. If it were up to her, she would have refused to accompany Chiaki over to the judge's desk, but Makoto had said that it wouldn't be fair to refuse her request, even if she was their enemy at the moment. Chiaki flashed Makoto a thankful smile as she ran off with Touko trailing behind reluctantly.

"Can't argue with that. Congratulations, you've secured fourth place."

Chiaki was slightly confused.

"Fourth place? But who got third?"

Togami gave a small 'heh' as he stood to the left of the judge's table, Makoto Naegi in tow.

As Sonia and Kyouko's uncharacteristic argument continued, they had been completely oblivious to the fact that Togami had swept in and taken Makoto from them.

He refused to tell Makoto what it was that he had to find - he didn't want it going to his head or anything, or thinking that he actually valued him as a friend of his.

The judge gave Togami a curious look when he had arrived with Makoto as the answer to his requirement, but a curt nod from Togami was all that was needed to quell any doubt in the judge.

By the time Kyouko and Sonia realised Makoto was gone, they had but moments to find substitutes for their required item.

In the end, the results were thus:

1st: Celestia Ludenburg (9 points)

2nd: Mahiru Koizumi (7 points)

3rd: Byakuya Togami (5 points)

4th: Chiaki Nanami (4 points)

5th: Kyouko Kirigiri (3 points)

6th: Sonia Nevermind (2 points)

Class 77: 41 points

Class 78: 44 points

* * *

The final event for the morning was upon them. The relay race. 2 teams of 3 were to sprint to their waiting teammate and pass a baton to them. First team to cross the finish line with the baton would be the victors.

The 78th class had to win this event. Chiaki knew this, and so they sent out their ace in the hole - their wild card. The Super High School Level Luckster of the 78th class - Nagito Komeada.

The worrying thing about this pick was that Nagito's good luck was completely unpredictable - there was no controlling it or bending it to his will. The students just had to hope that luck would be on their side during this event.

The 77th class were strategising. Kyouko had deduced that the 78th class would use Nagito Komeada's luck as their trump card, and in turn decided to have luck face-off against luck.

"Naegi will go last." Kyouko turned to him looking into his eyes with a serious expression. "We need your luck to offset Komeada's." As always, she spoke coolly. Seemingly nothing ever phased her.

As Makoto began to walk off toward his position, he felt a hand tug against his sleeve. Kyouko was looking directly downward, so Makoto was unable to see her expression when she spoke.

"Oh and...good luck."

Makoto smiled - he knew he would need it.

Makoto stepped up to the marker - signifying where the baton would be passed onto him by the second runner in his team. Nagito was directly across from him, smiling.

"Well would you look at that, the two Super High School Level Lucksters facing off against eachother. Of course, your talent far surpasses my own, so I'm not expecting to win in the slightest."

As usual, Nagito was making light of his talent, but Makoto knew what it could do, but also had no idea what it would do in this case. It's unpredictability was truly the most frightening part of his abilities.

Mukuro Ikusaba began to run the first part of the race, this being her second and last event to partake in of the day. The same applied to Akane Owari, who wasn't making the race easy for Mukuro, only a slight delay appearing.

Mukuro passed on the baton to Sakura with ease, who began to charge forward to Makoto. Not long after, the shouts of Nekomaru could be heard from close behind. There was little space between the two runners.

The event was tense, garnering the interests of many the students, Chisa Yukizome was cheering for Makoto and Nagito.

Makoto took a step forward, his slight lead no doubt greatly helping his team solidify their victory.

A few seconds later Nagito grabbed hold of the 77th class' baton, running forward.

Nagito tripped.

There was his bad luck.

However, when Nagito attempted to pick himself off of the ground, his hand brushed a 10,000 yen note that came from seemingly nowhere.

Already being rich, this lucky discovery didn't phase Nagito, who quickly dusted himself off, before he resumed his running.

"I hope that that's the only time my luck will manifest itself during this race. Besides..." Nagito gave Makoto a sidelong look, the two being fairly close in the race.

"I want to see first-hand what Makoto's luck can really do!"

Seconds after Nagito had said this, it occurred.

"Ah! Watch out!" The scream shook Makoto as he turned his head to see what the reason for it was, but before he could...

Makoto tripped - his shoelaces becoming tangled out of nowhere.

One of the metal flag poles situated around the track had somehow miraculously come loose, crashing to the ground. It landed mere inches away from Makoto, him barely avoiding being crushed under its high weight.

"So this is a battle between the two Super High School Level Lucksters?" Kyouko put a hand on her chin, focusing on the event before her.

The students and teachers freaked out upon seeing the danger Makoto could have potentially been in, but Makoto had pushed himself back up and kept moving forward.

Nagito managed to put quite the distance between himself and Makoto during the time it took for Makoto to get up. He was nearing the finish line, and despite how much Makoto pushed himself, the distance was too great to make up for someone like him. His legs simply weren't strong enough - and they had ached slightly from the effort he had put in earlier in the 100 meters.

Makoto closed his eyes.

'I'm sorry, everyone.'

He had truly tried his hardest.

77th class: 1st (10 points)

78th class: 2nd (6 points)

Overall:

77th class: 51

78th class: 50

* * *

After his classmates congratulating him and the others on their efforts, Makoto turned his sights towards a certain student.

Makoto swallowed a lump in his throat. He had to straighten things out with Sayaka. He had given her time to think and decided that now would be a good time to question her, hoping she was in a calmer mood after her time alone.

Upon seeing Makoto head in her direction, Sayaka once again motioned to turn around and leave the area, but this time Makoto grabbed her wrist, gently holding her back. He didn't understand what he had done, but he refused to let the tense atmosphere between them continue. The pair usually seemed so close, having never truly argued over anything. Their relationship was calming to Makoto, with Sayaka making him feel relaxed when she was near.

Makoto feared that what had happened earlier with Junko would happen again, tightening his grip slightly. Anything but that.

"Sayaka, please, just tell me what's wrong! I want to help you!" Makoto shouted louder than he had planned on, but Sayaka responded even louder.

"Help me!? If you want to help me Makoto then you can stop giving so many other girls attention! You can stop being so nice to all of them!" Sayaka was practically screaming at this point. Makoto had never seen her like this before. The intensity of her expression made Makoto almost recoil in shock.

"I-I..." Makoto was lost for words for one of the first times in his life. He didn't understand where any of this was coming from - last time he checked, Sayaka had always spent time with him on a regular basis. Despite how busy he was with the 77th class, he wasn't neglecting their friendship in the slightest. All Makoto could do was look at the floor. He had no answer for her.

Upon seeing his reaction, Sayaka's contorted face softened slightly. She had just realised exactly what she had said to Makoto, and regretted it as soon as she understood the impact of what she was asking of him.

"No...I was wrong. I was telling you not to be you. Not to be the kind boy that I..." Sayaka hesitated, shaking her head after careful consideration.

"No. It's not important."

Sayaka released herself from Makoto's grip, turning around fully and walking off.

"Huh? Sayaka - where are you going?"

Sayaka turned her head slightly, a sad smile appearing across her face. Any longer around him and she was sure her heart would break.

"Later Makoto."

* * *

 **So, a lot of stuff happend in this chapter. I kinda struggled at first when trying to plan out the structure of this chapter, but I think I managed to do an okay job on it. As always, any and all reviews, follows, and favourites are greatly appreciated, and I look forward to seeing you all in the next chapter - the conclusion of the sports day 'arc'. Peace out!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Here it is guys! The conclusion to the 'Sports day arc'! Thanks to everyone who submitted their ideas for the bet between the two classes. I loved hearing them all honestly, and it made me sad that I could only choose one to use. I ended up choosing Alewar Warinot's idea, changing the wording ever so slightly. That idea in particular was good as it would still allow shenanigans with both classes regardless of who won, without too many restrictions, and presenting opportunities for class trips involving both classes. I hope you enjoy the conclusion to the first 'arc' of the story. Enjoy!**

* * *

The Unlucky Luckster and the 77th Class - Chapter 7

Makoto sighed. He could faintly hear the announcement of the current positioning of the classes, as well as the declaration that the lunch break had begun.

Most of the words were drowned out - Makoto's thoughts distracting him. He pondered what he could've done during the few hours since school began to make Sayaka so angry with him.

He replayed every conversation the two had during the day over and over again in his head, but no clues were revealed.

Makoto knew that this was beyond his capabilities - he needed someone who could draw out hidden information from people without the subject even realising it.

He needed a detective.

Thankfully, Kyouko had yet to move from the field after the announcement was over, with the majority of the students walking over to the cafeteria (with Akane and the imposter practically charging their way there - the imposter keeping Ibuki to her word, despite her complaints).

Making his way over to his friend, Makoto knew that if anyone would be able to solve the mystery of the moody Sayaka, it would be Kyouko. He had nothing but the upmost respect and trust in Kyouko and her abilities.

Kyouko was clearly in a state of thought. Makoto waited for a few moments, before clearing his throat to alert her of his arrival.

"Kirigiri - there's something I need to ask you if you wouldn't mind." Kyouko barely reacted to Makoto's presence, simply opening one eye in acknowledgement.

"It has something to do with Maizono, does it not?"

"H-how did you know?" As always, she hit the nail on its metaphorical head.

"It hardly takes a detective to realise something is up with the two of you. Besides, everyone saw the scene she made a while back."

Makoto suddenly felt slightly self conscious - he had no idea that all of his classmates had seen the exchange between Sayaka and himself.

"Makoto," Kyouko began, turning to face him as she spoke. "What feelings do you hold towards Maizono?"

Makoto was taken aback by the abruptness of the question. He certainly wasn't expecting Kyouko Kirigiri of all people to ask such a question. Trying to ascertain the reasoning behind her question, Makoto studied Kyouko's face for a moment, as usual her stoic expression unchanging. However, he could have sworn that the moment he made eye contact with her, she slightly looked away for a fragment of a moment.

Taking too long to respond, Kyouko turned away from him.

"I'll see what I can find out." With that, she walked off.

Makoto slightly regretted not answering Kyouko's question, but upon consideration, he found that he didn't have an answer himself. It's true that at first, Makoto had a semblance of a crush on the idol, but as he got to know her more and more, he treasured their friendship, and did not want anything to potentially compromise it.

Makoto nodded in affirmation at the conclusion he had came to. As things were right now, Makoto didn't particularly have any 'feelings' toward anyone - in the romantic sense at least.

He was content with how things were for the time being. Dismissing the thought of a relationship, Makoto set off to the cafeteria, where his classmates would no doubt be waiting for him.

"Hey Makoto! Over here man!" Hagakure waved the boy over, the rest of his classmates all looking happy to see him - even Togami looked slightly less annoyed than usual.

Makoto gave a small smile, something clearly bothering him. The 78th class all knew Makoto well, each member having learnt Makoto's 'tells' throughout all the time they had spent together. Despite the optimistic boy usually being anything but sad, there had been a few times in which Makoto's smile had not held as much vim and vigor. The students recognised that something was on his mind.

"Cheer up Makoto! Our class is close to grasping victory! We must all try our hardest in the upcoming events! But we must abide by the rules at all times!" Ishimaru's enthusiastic shouts filled the cafeteria, many of the students wondering if his tendency to shout was on purpose or just second nature to him.

Makoto forced a smile. There was just no way that he could focus on the event with things the way they were. He hoped that Kyouko's investigation would prove fruitful, and that everything would return to the way it was earlier.

Makoto spied Junko sitting next to Mukuro on the other side of the table. It was only a glance, but Junko had turned as if she knew he was looking at her, staring at him. Makoto averted his eyes from her. He didn't want to think about interacting with the clearly mentally unstable girl anytime soon after what had happened earlier.

Mukuro had caught her sister's stare. She had no idea why she would look at Makoto like that after what she had told her earlier. The look on Junko's face was devoid of all emotion - so she had no idea what her sister was currently thinking. One thing she did know however, was that something had went on between the two of them.

Junko smiled as she emitted a gasp, drawing the student's attention to her.

"Oh no, Makoto we can't have you being sad. What's wrong? Was it something I did?" Junko's voice was laced with concern. At least that's what the other students had heard, but Makoto heard otherwise.

Her eyes taunted him. He refused to give her the sadistic satisfaction she was clearly seeking.

"Thank you for your concern Enoshima. Trust me, it's nothing that you did."

Junko twitched slightly.

Looking around the table, she noticed the absence of Sayaka and Kyouko. Being able to analyse with ease, Junko quickly realised what it was that truly had Makoto so down.

"Hey guys, where's Sayaka at? I saw her running off earlier. I thought she was crying but that couldn't be right I'm sure."

Makoto clenched his fist, an action that didn't go unnoticed by Junko.

'Got him.' Junko laughed inwardly. Any little reaction or rise from Makoto made Junko feel as if she was slowly breaking him.

The luckster knew that Junko was trying to hurt him, but he wouldn't let her get to him. Instead, Makoto couldn't stop thinking about where Sayaka was, and if Kyouko was currently with her.

* * *

After searching for a small amount of time, Kyouko heard a faint sob coming from a corner of the school where people did not often come by.

"Kyouko! Oh I'm sorry you have to see me like this." Sayaka knew it was too late to hide her face or brush off what Kyouko had witnessed. She had seen her at her lowest, and there was no way for Sayaka to change that.

"Something is wrong between you and Makoto." Kyouko's statement left no room for doubt. She sounded completely confident in her claim.

"It's no big deal Kyouko, trust me. I'm fine." Sayaka wanted the conversation to end before Kyouko could find out more about what happened. She knew that Kyouko had the ability to do so without people even knowing.

"It seems as though you're lying to yourself Maizono. You clearly have feelings for Makoto. It's only him that doesn't recognise it."

Sayaka breathed in sharply. It was as if Kyouko could see right through her. Yet, something Kyouko said struck a chord in Sayaka. She suddenly grew extremely angry - all of her pent-up feelings bubbling to the surface at last.

"Well!? Aren't you lying to yourself too Kyouko!?" Sayaka didn't break eye contact as she shouted at Kyouko.

Her voice became a low whisper, the hurt in her voice coming across clearly.

"You love him too don't you? Don't even try to deny it." Kyouko opened her mouth to respond, but saw it best to remain silent. For once, she had no rebuttal to a claim.

Sayaka slumped down the wall, sitting on the floor and burying her head in her arms.

"It's hard Kyouko."

Kyouko turned away from the idol.

"I know."

* * *

The students from class 77 and class 78 prepared themselves for the next event - the three-legged race. In this particular event, two teams of two from each class had to participate.

For class 78, it had been decided the day before that Sayaka and Junko would be pared for the race, alongside Chihiro and Hagakure.

Only five minutes before the race began did a slightly red-eyed Sayaka make her way over to the field. She had forgotten about her pairing for the race - having no problem regarding it when it was announced. Now however, she felt completely different.

Sayaka approached one of the other participants in her class, a sole question on her mind.

"Um...Hagakure? Could we please...swap partners?" Sayaka was careful to say this quietly so as not to arouse suspicion from any of her classmates - least of all Junko.

Hagakure put his hand on his chin, giving a look that suggested he was in deep thought, but anyone who knew him knew that this wasn't the case.

"Oh, I see! You want Chihiro 'cause he must better than Junko. I've seen through your plans - I'm keeping Chihiro, I'm in this to win!"

"No, Hagakure I-" Sayaka tried to plead with him, only to be cut off.

"I'm not listening - you're just trying to get the best partner for yourself! My crystal ball told me something like this would happen today." Yet again Hagakure's idiocy never failed to astound.

Sayaka was stuck with Junko. On the plus side, Junko had no idea that Sayaka had seen what happened between her and Makoto. She considered dropping out of the race momentarily, but if she did then everyone would surely realise that somethings was wrong. She had to put up appearances.

Sayaka stopped for a moment. She knew that she didn't have any reason to have ill will toward Junko, other than the fact that she was jealous, but she couldn't help feeling anger toward the fashionista.

"Hey Sayaka! You know we totally missed you earlier on girl!" Junko's speech was as exaggerated as ever. Sayaka gave her one of her famous smiles - unbeknownst to Junko that it held intense anger and jealousy behind it.

"I'm sorry Enoshima, I was just feeling a little woozy and needed some air. I'm all better now so let's do our best." Junko knew that this was a lie of course. She could tell that she was masking her true emotions, with whatever happened between her and Makoto still consuming her thought. Junko didn't know what this was, but she knew that she had to drive a wedge in between the two classmates. That could potentially make Makoto feel despair - which was the sole prerogative.

The 77th class teams of Sayaka and Junko alongside Hagakure and Chihiro were to face off against the 78th class' teams of Fuyuhiko and Peko alongside Souda and Hiyoko.

By the time the students reached the start line, Souda was already considering sawing off his leg in order to escape Hiyoko's constant berating and belittling. He sympathised with Mikan for a moment.

When the race started, Souda and Hiyoko fell over almost immediately. Hagakure and Chihiro had problems due to height differences. Sayaka and Junko were doing averagely - being able to comfortably obtain second place.

Fuyuhiko and Peko were clearly in sync. The two friends were on the same wavelength, and their desire to win (and in turn 'win' Makoto) made their pace increase exponentially. In no time flat they had passed the finish line.

In the end, it was between Hagakure and Chihiro (whose pace was akin to a snail's) and Souda and Hiyoko, who kept falling over due to Hiyoko punching and pushing Souda in frustration due to having to be in such close proximity to someone who she called a 'pathetic wimp'.

Souda looked toward Sonia for inspiration, but grinded his teeth together upon seeing her playing around with Gundham's hamsters. He completely gave up on the race, causing Hiyoko to kick him with her free foot.

In the end, Hagakure and Chihiro managed to pass the finish line, claiming third place.

Hagakure laughed loudly.

"Just like I predicted!"

Everyone sighed.

1st: Fuyuhiko and Peko (8 points)

2nd: Sayaka and Junko (6 points)

3rd: Hagakure and Chihiro (4 points)

4th: Souda and Hiyoko (2 points)

Total points:

Class 77: 61

Class 78: 60

* * *

Mikan and Aoi faced off against each other in the sack race, with Aoi emerging victorious due to Mikan falling in a rather compromising position early on, having struggled to recover.

Before the final event, the points for each class were:

Class 77: 63 points (2 from Mikan)

Class 78: 64 points (4 from Aoi)

The 78th class had just managed to earn more points than the 77th class before the last event. They were confident that they would end up winning overall.

* * *

The final event was a tug of war, with each student in both classes being required to participate. Of course, Makoto knew that the outcome of this event would mainly depend on Sakura and Nekomaru, but he still wanted to try his best in order to make up for his past loss.

With everything to play for, the students were all aiming to win. Students that usually would not concern themselves with such activities knew that they had to give it their all. Both teams seemed evenly matched in terms of strength, so now there was only one question to be answered:

How many ropes would Sakura and Nekomaru break before a conclusion will be reached?

The students grasped the rope. Neither class could particularly strategise for this event, with the general consensus being 'pull really hard'.

Chiaki made eye contact with Kyouko. Although neither girl held no ill will toward the other, their drive to win the bet was clear. They stared each other down for a few moments, before the referee announced the countdown for the event.

Despite how the classes were unable to strategise for the event, Chiaki had planned ahead. With consent from the rest of the class, the 77th class underwent strength training led by the Super High School Level Coach himself: Nekomaru Nidai. Each student could agree that after the training, (which the students had to spend days to recover from) there were results to be seen - not bulging muscles, but the class' arm strength had been increased without a doubt.

The event began, and within seconds the students could tell that the two classes were equal. Or so they thought. Sakura's strength, countered by Nekomaru made it so the classes were essentially even. Yet, slowly the 78th class could feel the 77th class put up more and more resistance. In the battle of endurance, the 77th class had the upper-hand due to their training. All they had to do was wait out the majority of the 78th class.

The rope was beginning to fray due to the copious amount of stress that was put on it, but the students ignored this, focusing wholeheartedly on the penultimate event.

Chiaki waited for an opportune moment. She spotted a gap in her opponents' defences - something that she had done many times in fighting games prior. It was when Hagakure began to sneeze that his grip loosened, prompting Chiaki to strike.

"Now!"

The 77th class heard the signal loud and clear. It was at this moment that they showed the extent of their training. One large pull caused the 78th class to fall completely off-balance. It was thanks to Hagakure's moment of weakness that the class could exploit the class' weakness.

Even with Sakura's strength, the 77th class managed to all come together and overpower her (which was mainly due to Nekomaru).

The event was won.

Class 77: 73 points

Class 78: 69 points

* * *

The final event was over. The results were clear. The 77th class were victorious, and the 78th class had no choice but to adhere to their terms.

Their terms were:

1.) The 77th class has priority over requesting any of Makoto's free time.

2.) Makoto is allowed to join any School trips, joint or not, that involve class 77.

Others are allowed to join at their own expense.

3.) Makoto is to eat breakfast and dinner with the 77th class for 5 days a week.

4.) Hostilities between the two classes are to end and Makoto is allowed to spend his own free time alone if he wishes.

5.) Failure to adhere to these rules results in a chunk of class 78's trip funds to be transferred to the 77th class' funds.

"As per the rules of the bet, you must fulfil your side of the agreement." Sonia regally announced, causing the 78th class to each clench their fists or grit their teeth in frustration. Her tone held no semblance or mockery or boasting - despite her excitement over winning the bet, as a princess Sonia had to remain professional in times like these.

"Ha ha! You guys all totally lost - even after you burst in and challenged us!" Akane clearly didn't show the same curtesy.

Mondo was about to yell back at the gymnast, but Chihiro shook his head. He always had the ability to calm people down - especially Mondo, which came in handy quite often.

Kyouko could have sworn that she saw a quick grin flash across Junko's face. Now that she thought about it, Junko was the only one who didn't seem truly affected by the class' loss. On the outside, she acted as if she was sad about the outcome, but the way Junko said things and the looks she sometimes gave when most people weren't looking were highly suspicious to Kyouko.

Even if Junko wasn't particularly fond of Makoto, the way she seemed to relish in the sadness of others was something that didn't sit well with Kyouko. She made a mental note to watch out for her, and investigate her if it becomes necessary.

The classroom door suddenly flung open - surprising everyone greatly. Even Ibuki didn't hear anyone coming.

Makoto stood in the doorway.

"What is all this?"

* * *

 **So there you have it guys! The 77th class emerges victorious in the end! What will this mean for Makoto? How will he react when he learns of the bet? That stuff will be revealed next chapter of course. What I would like to know from you guys is who Makoto should spend his time with in the next chapter! Yes, that's right, suggestions for characters are open again now that the sports day arc is over! Remember to vote for whoever you want to see Makoto hang out with, regardless of class. I hope you guys enjoyed this 'arc' - I enjoyed writing it, and so far I've been so happy to see all of your reviews and suggestions for the story. Again, any suggestion I use I will credit, and all suggestions I've heard so far have been really creative! Thanks again for all of you being really supportive, and I hope to see you all again in the next chapter! Peace out!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey everyone! Sorry about the little delay in an update, despite its lateness the next chapter is here now! This chapter is slightly shorter than the other chapters, but it's an important chapter that needs to occur before the story can progress. As for who Makoto will be spending time with, I will be listening to the suggestions you guys have submitted, but I won't be using them until the next chapter or the one after due to plot reasons - but rest assured I will listen to them and include them (I myself am very much looking forward to writing a Mikan chapter). So, please note that this is kinda like a chapter that is like a bridge to the next story arc which will come in a few chapters time once Makoto has spent some more time with his fellow students. That said, I have listened to a lot of your suggestions, as you will see soon. Without further adeau, here is the chapter! Enjoy!**

* * *

The Unlucky Luckster and the 77th Class

It was Tuesday. Sports day had just come to a conclusion the day before, and the students were reacting in different ways. Some students were moaning about how much their bodies ached, whereas students like Sakura and Nekomaru had barely broke a sweat.

It had been six months since Makoto had joined Hope's Peak Academy - the time had practically flown with all the chaos and excitement in his daily life.

It was halfway through May when the 77th class began to notice Makoto. At this time, Makoto was also beginning to become popular within his own class, starting to befriend unruly students like Mondo as well as the haughty Togami (though he would never admit it himself).

It was once the 77th class claimed Makoto for themselves that the 78th class realised just how important Makoto was to their class. He was an integral ray of hope - a friend to everyone and anyone. He would not only listen to any of his friend's woes, but he would also endeavour to do whatever he could within his abilities to solve any problems they faced.

Since sports day ended, it seemed as if Sayaka and Kyouko had become closer. Unbeknownst to Makoto, the two felt a camaraderie between them upon the revelation of their feelings towards the luckster.

As for Sayaka and Makoto, things were still awkward for the two of them. There was a clear distance present - even Hagakure could tell that something was amiss. They hadn't talked since yesterday, and Makoto and Sayaka had their concerns regarding their relationship weighing heavily on their minds.

The students from the 77th and 78th class all turned in surprise at the sudden appearance of the younger luckster in the doorway. His facial expression portrayed a feeling of shock and confusion, as well as something else. Betrayal.

"Th-there's no way..."

"Makoto, we can explain." The ever calm Kyouko had slight distress in her voice as she attempted to approach Makoto, only for him to take a step backwards.

It became clear to the students that Makoto had heard their conversation, likely having tried to search for his friends and coming across the current situation.

Makoto's eyes were wide as he continued to take a few steps backward, before turning and breaking out in a sprint.

"Makoto! Wait!"

He ran, ignoring their cries.

"Hm? Was that Makoto just now?" Chisa entered the room with a look of confusion due to not only witnessing Makoto run off on his own, but at the appearance of the 78th class, who she knew had a feud with her own class.

"Um...what's going on here?"

Togami adjusted his glasses. "Allow me to explain..."

* * *

"I can't believe you guys would do that! Of course poor Makoto would react that way! You're not taking what he wants into consideration!" Chisa was lecturing the students sternly, hands on her hips.

"But, the deal said that Makoto could choose to go along with it if he wanted to, so..." Hagakure trailed off as Chisa's glare was all that was needed to shut him up.

She slammed her hands down on her desk, causing a few students to jump.

"That doesn't matter! You're still treating Makoto like he's some sort of object or pet you're fighting for custody over! I'm really ashamed of you all."

The 77th and 78th class all had their eyes firmly planed on the ground, unable to meet Chisa's glare. She was right, and they felt guilt towards their actions - especially how it had affected Makoto.

"What if big-bro Makoto hates us all now..." Hiyoko voiced the main concern of everyone's minds. No one answered, their silence being more than enough of an indication as to how they felt. They didn't even want to imagine such a thing.

Mahiru deadpanned. "You do know he's younger than you, right?"

Ibuki stood from her seat in a grand fashion.

"Ibuki doesn't want Makoto to hate us! Let's go find him everyone! We can use Akane's nose to track him down!"

Akane fist-pumped the air, jumping up from her own chair.

"Yeah! Leave it to me!"

"Oh, I have one of Makoto's socks you can use to get the scent from!"

"Miss Sonia, why do you have that...?"

"Well then, LET'S GO!" Nekomaru's bellow signified the beginning of the search. Each of the students banded together and made their way out of the classroom.

"Hold it!" Chisa blocked the door, arms spread wide so as to not let anyone past her.

"Teach, this isn't the time - we gotta go find Makoto." Fuyuhiko's patience was clearly being tried.

Chisa shook her head. "Like I said, you all need to be more considerate of Makoto! Let him have some alone time. If you're all going to apologise to him, it should be after he gets all of his thoughts in order."

"But if we leave Makoto alone, we might potentially damage his hope! Unless, this experience will serve as a stepping stone for his hope to grow even- mmphh." Nagito's mouth was covered by Akane.

A voice from within the crowd of students spoke up. The idol had her hand raised slightly as she spoke.

"I agree with Miss Yukizome. We should give Makoto some space. It's what he would do for us." Sayaka knew this well - considering how it was exactly what Makoto did for her the day before when she was feeling distressed.

A few students opened their mouths in protest, but each of them understood where Sayaka was coming from. In the end, the students went back to their lessons, albeit with looks of regret and worry on their faces throughout.

Chiaki wished she never agreed to the bet. She had hurt her gaming friend - someone who she cherished greatly.

Kyouko was feeling the same - Makoto's constant optimism and kindness towards her was something that she didn't want to be without.

But both of the girls knew that the time to patch things up with Makoto would come.

Until then, they rehearsed apologies in their heads.

* * *

Makoto was a patient guy - famously so, but even people like him knew when enough was enough. He didn't like how the 77th and 78th class decided it would be okay to treat him like their possession.

He just didn't want any of it. He was done. He wanted a normal life with normal friends. But Makoto knew that part of the fault lied within him choosing to accept the invitation to Hope's Peak in the first place. The words 'Hope's Peak' and 'normal' were as far apart as words could be.

In his frustration, he had ran without having planned a course in his mind. He ended up a small distance from Hope's Peak, at an area closer to the reserve course building.

Makoto sat down at the water fountain. He had went there once with Chiaki after their day out, and thought it would be a peaceful place for him to lay low and not get bothered for a while.

Makoto wasn't paying attention to where he was walking - with everything that was on his mind he found it hard to concentrate on anything. He felt himself falling backward as he realised he had bumped right into someone.

"Ouch...I'm sorry - I wasn't looking where I was going. Are you okay?" Makoto looked up to see a taller boy with dark brown hair rubbing his back slightly.

The boy gave a slight smile, extending a hand to the fallen Makoto, which he gratefully accepted.

"Don't worry about it. It happens." Makoto hadn't noticed it before, but now he was up close he could see that the boy in front of him had bright green eyes and an ahoge that wasn't too far off from his own.

Makoto's facial expressions betrayed him, with the other boy questioning him.

"Not meaning to pry or anything, but is there something wrong?" Hajime felt slightly concerned for the smaller boy. He couldn't just let him go around bumping into a bunch of people because of something that was bothering him.

Makoto sighed. "You don't know the half of it..."

* * *

"Really? That's messed up..." Hajime sympathised with him, a look of slight disbelief on his face.

"It's weird, right? An average guy like me garnering the attention of so many special people. I just don't understand it."

Hajime's eye twitched.

"You're not average. You're a student in Hope's Peak. You have a talent." There was a hint of disdain and jealousy present in Hajime's voice as he clenched his fists tightly.

"I wouldn't go as far to say that I had a talent..." Makoto grasped his hands together, twisting his thumbs.

"Why's that?"

"I just got enrolled because I won a lottery - there was no skill involved at all. Unlike another student I know, my 'luck' isn't something that should be regarded as a talent."

"So there's hope for untalented people to get into the main course..." Hajime narrowed his eyes in thought. A small part of him felt as if he had a chance to achieve his much sought-after dream if someone like him could do it.

"Why do you want to get into the main course so bad Hinata?" Makoto tilted his head in query.

A wry smile appeared on Hajime's face as he told Makoto of his desire.

"Well, to be honest with you I've always admired Hope's Peak Academy. For as long as I can remember it's been my dream to attend school there."

Hajime's tone suddenly darkened, as a somewhat pained expression crossed his face.

"But it's not that easy. I wasn't born with something I could call a 'talent'."

A silence filled the air for a few moments, before Makoto spoke up once more.

"If it's a feeling of inadequacy you have...I understand it." Makoto looked towards the ground with a melancholy expression. He had clearly thought about this more than once.

"I'm always wondering if I deserve to be where I am. Surrounded by so many amazing people with bright futures ahead of them all. And then there's me, the average student who got in through a lottery." He paused for a second before he continued, gathering his thoughts and carefully selecting his words.

"But you know, who cares? From attending Hope's Peak for the time I have, I've come to realise something." Makoto turned to look Hajime in the eyes, who looked as if he was encouraging him to continue, albeit warily.

"Talent doesn't define who you are." Hajime's eyes widened. He couldn't believe that a 'talented' person was telling him this. A part of Hajime thought this hypocritical - how could someone with a 'talent' possibly know what life is like for one who doesn't? How dare they act high and mighty as if they're lowering themselves to a regular person's level?

"Talent doesn't determine your future. As long as you move onward, never second guessing or looking back and thinking 'what if?', then you'll be able to create the future you want for yourself." Makoto was standing now, his eyes fixated on the sitting Hajime. Looking into the shorter boy's eyes, Hajime saw something he didn't entirely understand. There was a vast amount of passion and conviction in his eyes - alongside an unwavering hope.

"If you have hope, you can never lose to even the strongest sadness - the strongest despair. So that's why people like us - we have to keep our heads held high and keep going on, until the day when the futures we fought for with our hope becomes a reality."

Having realised his rant, Makoto began to feel self-conscious. He resumed sitting.

"That's what I think at least."

Makoto looked somewhat embarrassed, scratching his cheek as he gave a soft and awkward laugh.

Hajime was in deep thought. He hadn't expected the shorter boy to say all the things that he said, and it definitely gave him a lot of things to consider. Until now, Hajime had always thought that talent was crucial for his dreams and progression to his future. Today was the first time that he second-guessed that belief, albeit slightly.

He was going to question just how Makoto could be so optimistic when Makoto stood up once more.

"Sorry for going off on one like that. I'm not really sure what got into me."

Hajime shook his head in dismissal.

"It's fine. I don't mind at all."

Makoto smiled at Hajime, who in turn offered a small smile back.

"Well, I should probably get back now. Classes would have just finished a little while back so I should probably go explain where I was."

It had turned out that not only Makoto had skipped his afternoon lessons, but Hajime had also - with too much on each of the boy's minds to focus in class. The sunset began to illuminate the area with a gentle orange hue - much like it had when Makoto had came here before with Chiaki.

"Well if you need someone to vent to I'll be here pretty much every day. It's quiet out here so I like to eat my lunch away from campus." Hajime sounded nonchalant as he spoke, but Makoto was keen to take him up on his offer.

"Yeah, I'll be sure to come by tomorrow. See ya Hinata!"

Makoto smiled. He had finally made a friend who wouldn't obsess over him. Someone who would treat him like the normal person he felt he was. And for that, Makoto was glad. He felt a sense of solidarity with his fellow normal student.

Once Makoto had left, Hajime closed his eyes, sighing.

"The future, huh...?"

He opened his eyes.

They were blood-red.

"How boring."

* * *

 **Well there you have it guys - my favourite character - Hajime Hinata has finally been introduced into the story. As for what happened at the end...that'll be explained. I have an explanation, but I won't reveal it until a little later on. Thanks to lolrus555 for some inspiration for this chapter too.**

 **Now, there's a little something I want to ask all of you, and that is where do you think this story should head from now on? I'm throwing some ideas around with a friend of mine, but I'd also like to hear from any of you guys. Basically it can be anything you want to see, like a birthday or an event or some kind.**

 **I want to try to create some sort of overarching plot for the story, but there still needs to be events transpiring in order to put the characters and their stories into motion. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated, and I'll see you all in the next chapter. Peace out!**


	9. Chapter 9

**So, I was planning on posting a few new chapters last week during my break, but a thing happened. My house kinda sorta flooded. It's no big deal and it's all sorted now, but it pretty much impeded me from updating this story. Not only that, but I had to spend agessss on my coursework drafts. Not fun. Sorry for the delay guys - I'm gonna try to be more regular - at least one update a week. I have a Halloween chapter I'm working on for this story, but it's gonna be a little late, and this chapter had to come out first anyway. Ramble over haha. Enjoy!**

* * *

The Unlucky Luckster and the 77th class - Chapter 9

It was the day after Makoto found out about the bet that class 77 and class 78 had made. He was by no means furious with his friends - just confused, disappointed, and a myriad of other feelings toward it all.

He knew that he would be bombarded with apologies and excuses and explanations throughout the day, but Makoto still wasn't sure if he was ready to accept and sweep the whole incident under the rug. Of course, he held no grudges towards his friends. He knew that in the end, everything would be resolved, but decided to think more on how he should deal with the situation himself, instead of having other people try to sort it out for him.

"Um, hey Makoto?" Souda meekly called out from nearby the luckster. Makoto knew he had to be strong - if he were to talk to any of his friends before he made a decision, he would surely just crumble and accept the apology **,** making everything revert to the way it was before, with none of the students knowing how Makoto felt about the whole situation.

It was hard for him, but Makoto continued walking past the Mechanic, who looked visibly distressed about Makoto's reaction.

"Hey Makoto - wait up man." Mondo also reached out toward Makoto, failing to grab his arm as he slipped right past him.

The other students observed this, deciding that it would be best not to push Makoto too much, lest he hate them.

* * *

After morning lessons were over (which was hard for Makoto to sit through, with all of the students in his class having their attentions focused not on the lesson, but on him, each considering ways to approach him or make amends - even Junko Enoshima watched - entertained at the prospect of despair her classmates faced, with their relationships with Makoto currently fractured), Makoto made his way over to the water fountain - the designated meeting place for himself and Hajime.

Makoto quickly left the classroom before anyone could say anything, briskly walking to meet his new friend.

"Hey! Hinata!" Makoto waved to his friend with a cheerful smile. Hajime acknowledged Makoto with a slight nod as Makoto sat down beside him on the bench.

"So, how are things going with your classmates? Have you made up yet?" Hajime glanced at Makoto, who clearly had something still on his mind.

Makoto shifted in his seat, looking downtrodden.

"Um, no. Not yet. Not to say they haven't tried or anything. It's just that...if I just say everything's all fine, won't things just go back to how they used to be?" Makoto twiddled his thumbs as he spoke, his head low.

"Do you have a problem with how things were before all this?"

"Yeah. People I care about were constantly fighting each-other over me. I didn't like that, but didn't know what to say. And now this has happened..."

"You're popular, huh? Must be nice..." Hajime trailed off with a look of longing in his eyes, as he watched a plane fly past above him.

"So." Hajime voiced louder than Makoto had expected - startling him.

"What are you gonna do about this?"

"I guess...I'll tell them all how I really feel? If we all come to an understanding then maybe we can move past all this and everyone could be friends." Makoto's solution filled him with hope for the future of him and his friends. It may be a long shot, and will definitely take a while, but Makoto envisioned a future where all of his friends got along together. He would make sure that this future would become a reality.

"How predictable."

"Hinata?" Makoto gave a look of confusion as he studied his friend's face. He was sure for a moment that he had sounded like a completely different person - his voice apathetic. Not only that, but Makoto noticed a slight red from the corner of his eye that bothered him for some reason. He dismissed this thought however, as he had no reason or proof to further pursue it.

The lunch bell ended, signifying the end of the break, as well as the end of the conversation.

Makoto thanked Hajime for helping him reach a conclusion, to which Hajime humbly denied having any part of, before seeing his friend off after making plans to meet again the next day.

The rest of the day flew by for Makoto. All he could think about during his lesson was how he would approach his classmates the next morning, and played the possible conversation out in his head.

* * *

Makoto emitted a soft sigh as he reached for the door handle of his dorm room, placing his key inside the slot. The lock on his door didn't click like it usually did. The door was unlocked. How? Opening the door cautiously, he stopped dead in his tracks.

"Enoshima? Why are you here?" Junko Enoshima sat in his hallway, a pleased smile on her face, dressed in an apron with her hair tied up in a ponytail.

"Welcome home dear, would you like dinner first? Or a bath? Or..."

"To die!?" She brandished a knife - thrusting it at Makoto. It barely missed him, as it stabbed right into his door.

"Tch. There's that luck of yours at play. Of course I knew it wouldn't kill you. It'd be too despairingly boring if that happened!"

"W-what the heck!? Enoshima that could've killed me!" Makoto's face was aghast. Sweat began to form on his pale face, as he pressed himself against his wall as hard as he could.

Junko let out a chuckle. "Haha details details. You didn't die so what's there to complain about am I right?"

"You've got that wrong! I knew you weren't 'normal' after what happened on sports day, but this is too much!"

"Daww is the wittle Makoto scaaaaared?" Junko taunted, taking Makoto's fear as pleasure for herself.

"Enoshima...what's wrong with you?" Makoto's tone was dead serious, but his voice wavered. He was afraid, but resolute in finding out what exactly it was that made his classmate the way she is.

Junko became deadpan. "What's wrong with me? What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Huh?"

"You cling on to hope - ever the optimist. Nothing can get you down can it? Is that 'normal'? Is your extreme optimism and hopefulness a regular trait?"

In a flash, glasses appeared on Junko's face. "We have determined that you, Makoto Naegi are an anomaly. It is only hope that can face despair. As a result, you are our enemy."

"So unless you do not wish to die you pitiful child, you must submit to us this instant!" Junko had swapped the glasses she was previously donning for a small crown that adorned her head. She spoke in an overly regal tone - clearly exaggerated.

"..."

"Whaaaat? Cat's got your tongue Makoto?"

"I...I won't..."

"Sorry doll-face but you'll have to speak up. I can't hear your dumb little mumbling."

"I won't!"

"Huh?"

"I won't give into despair! I refuse to despair!" Junko took a few steps back, staggered.

"Hey Makoto - I don't think you get what's going on here. I'm threatening your life! I'm saying if you don't beg and give in to despair here I'll kill you."

"I'm scared of that, of course I am, but I don't think you'd do it. Even if you hate me, we're classmates, why would you ever kill a -"

"Classmates? Pffffttt...haha...HAHAHAHAHA! OH MAKOTO THAT'S GOLD! CLASSMATES HE SAYS!" Junko grabbed Makoto by the shoulders, bringing him close.

"That means nothing to me. All that matters is despair. You could all die and it wouldn't mean a thing to me. Do you get it now Makoto? How inconsequential you all are?"

Junko positioned the knife toward Makoto's throat. She thought for a second, her thought process audible as she let out small 'hmm's and 'erm's. She eventually reached a decision, withdrawing the knife from Makoto.

"I think outright killing you is way too boring. No, that won't satisfy me. I'll make you despair. You may be hopeful, but you're still only human Naegi. I can break you."

"You can try." Makoto's eyes were fierce. Challenging. Junko liked seeing that. She wanted to replace the fire in his eyes with dull cinders of ash.

Junko waved her hand nonchalantly. "Well this has been fun Makoto, but I'm gonna be going now. Remember to stay on guard from here on out. I wouldn't want things to end too quickly, you know?"

Junko began to skip out of Makoto's room gleefully.

"I'll make you feel hope. I swear it."

Junko twitched. A bold statement indeed. He had responded to Junko's challenge - something she did not expect. Only Makoto Naegi and his hope were unpredictable to her. The girl bored by everything the world had to offer way only truly entertained when she was challenged. This was the first time her despair was challenged.

"And I'll make you feel despair."

For a moment, there was a mutual understanding between the two students as they glared eachother down. Junko was almost surprised at Makoto's uncharacteristic actions. He rarely ever showed his bold side - only coming out when it came to the safety of his classmates, or the subject of hope.

She hated it. It was suffocating. Insufferable. Just being near to Makoto - in the same room was like poison for her. And he frustrated her to no end. The queen of despair, Junko Enoshima - the woman who could break anyone she wanted to, ruin anyone she wanted to, could not do anything to Makoto Naegi. His hope was too strong to damage. He was too optimistic to give in. He was unbreakable.

And he was the biggest threat she had ever met.

* * *

Junko left Makoto's room to find her sister - Mukuro Ikusaba waiting for her outside. It was clear to Junko that she had been listening in on her conversation with Makoto. She made a mental note to punish her later.

"Sis? I came to see if you were alright - you didn't say where you were going and-"

"What the hell Mukuro? Did you actually follow me here. What a creep. Are you even here to see me or are you here for your precious Makoto?"

Junko noticed Mukuro's slight fluster with a smirk.

"You know, since everyone - including you - are too much of a damn wimp to even 'put the moves' on innocent ol Makoto here, I'll take it upon myself to claim him in the name of despair." Junko smirked at her sister.

"But - but what about Matsuda?"

"Huh? What about him? He's just a plaything I have wrapped around my finger." Mukuro knew that it would be pointless to argue the point any further. Junko had that look in her eye that only she could decipher. Junko was planning something extremely despair-full. Only time would tell what that would be.

"Anyway, I'm already soooo bored with this conversation. You're really boring you know that? Also ugly. Also you smell." Junko hurled insults toward her sister, who simply took them all with a strange sense of pride as she followed her sister out of the dormitory hallway.

* * *

"Junko Enoshima...what is she planning." Despite her exit, Makoto still felt on edge. After a moment of uneasiness, Makoto decided not to let if get to him. That was exactly what she wanted after all. He momentarily feared Junko harming his classmates after an early comment she had made, but could tell that this was personal. He also considered reporting her for assault and attempted murder, but he had no proof to back up his claims. Aside from the gash in his door, there was nothing that connected it to Junko. There was that, but there was also another reason.

Makoto knew that there was good in her somewhere. He wouldn't give up until he made her hope - just like how she wouldn't give up until she made him despair. It was a strange situation Makoto found himself in - one that he hadn't planned nor expected, but he knew one thing for sure:

He would never despair.

* * *

 **So yeah guys - this chapter got a little dark near the end, but I just wanted to include some kind of overarching plot to this story in the form of the rivalry between Junko and Makoto. Don't worry, no student will die or anything, as previously stated: this is a non-despair AU. It's just that now Makoto will have to juggle his time with his friends, as well as fend off attacks from Junko to make him despair, while at the same time trying to make Junko find hope (good luck Makoto). So I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. It wasn't as long as usually, but the chapter length will go back to normal next chapter. Some stuff will be going down - trust me. So yeah, review if you want and I'll see you guys in the next chapter. Peace out!**


	10. Chapter 10

**We hit 20,000 views guys. To celebrate this, as well as the 10th chapter of this story, this chapter in particular will be 10,000 words! A biggie, huh?**

 **I've seriously never done something like this before. When I thought up the idea, it seemed really daunting to me. 3,000 words (which is the average chapter length) already makes me think a lot and consider each part of the chapter in relation to where I want the story to go, so managing 10,000 words into one coherent chapter was a challenge for me. But nonetheless, I wanted to do it as a thank you to mark this occasion. Please enjoy this extra-long chapter - remember it's fine to take breaks and then come back to it, so no pressure to read it all at once. Enjoy!**

* * *

The Unlucky Luckster and the 77th Class - Chapter 10

Tensions were high between the 77th and the 78th class - not to say that wasn't how things usually were, but in light of recent events, the relations between the two classes were worse than ever.

"This is all your fault! If you all didn't come barging in with that challenge of yours then Makoto wouldn't be mad at us right now!" Souda flailed his arms in frustration over the predicament.

"You are all also to blame - we did not force you in any way to accept the wager. The blame lies with both parties involved." Kyouko ran her hand through her hair as she gave a glare toward the mechanic, causing him to cower away in fear.

The students were standing in the corridor of Hope's Peak Academy - an argument breaking out before the morning announcement had even chimed.

They were attracting some looks from members of faculty as well as other students, but no-one approached the matter due to fear that Sakura or Nekomaru would send you flying with one precise punch.

At the moment, the 77th and 78th class were aiming to push the blame for recent events onto the other class. It had all started when Mondo and Ishimaru were walking down the hall, only to bump into an especially activated Fuyuhiko, with Akane in tow.

It was Mondo who prodded Fuyuhiko first, causing him to explode. Ishimaru had tried to calm the two students down, who both turned on him, causing Isimaru to join in on the argument. Akane's anger was amplified due to the fact that Mondo and Ishimaru were blocking the way to the cafeteria, so she took the opportunity to interject herself into the shouting.

From there, more and more of the 77th and 78th class had joined the sides of their classmates upon hearing the yells and screams coming from the hall - unmissable even if you tried to ignore it. The school practically shook with each bellow Nekomaru emitted.

As the arguments continued to heat up, it was then that a certain luckster had head over to the cafeteria for breakfast, stopping when he heard the confrontation. He inspected it further, finding the last thing he wanted to see.

Makoto heard enough. He entered the corridor, his presence not realised for a few moments.

The arguments ceased immediately. Some students were looking directly at Makoto, while others were avoiding eye-contact in shame of what they had done to the luckster. Makoto took a deep breath before beginning - piercing the silence with his words.

"Everyone! Can't you see that this is one of the reasons I'm mad at you all!? Every time I choose to spend time with someone it's like I'm 'betraying' the other class!"

"I'm not going to be so naive as to ask for you all to get along, but if only you were actually civil to each other, then maybe I wouldn't be so stressed all the time!"

"And another thing! I'm not your play toy! You can't just drag me off somewhere without asking how I actually feel first!"

"But the worst thing was that bet. Treating me like some prize to win... And I thought you all actually cared about me. You might act like you do, but you don't. You put your interests over mine time and time again. That much is clear."

All of the students' eyes were wide. They had never seen Makoto like this before. They were discovering a new side of the boy, with his words having a profound effect on each of them.

"You fuckers! That damn arguing of yours is what's making Makoto angry with us!" Mondo shouted at the 77th class with an expression that was no doubt famed among his fellow bikers.

"Huh!? You wanna fuckin' repeat that, asshole!?" Fuyuhiko shot back, not backing away from the taller boy.

A spark of arguments filled the air. All of the students were yelling all matter of profanities and insults at each other - except Kyouko, Sayaka and Mukuro. Junko joined in because she wanted to fan the flames - she knew exactly what she was doing.

They had completely missed the point. His words were lost on them. Without his words he was nothing. He could change nothing.

"You just don't get it!" Makoto yelled. Once more, the arguments ceased. Makoto's outburst has quieted them all. Makoto clenched his fists into balls, clenching his teeth. He began to turn to walk away.

"Makoto, please..." Sonia began, her voice trembling slightly. She gently tugged on the hem of Makoto's jacket - only to have him turn away from her.

"No. I'm done." Makoto felt trapped. He felt as if nothing he could do would change how things were. No matter what he said and did, everything would remain the same. He felt so powerless. For now,

Makoto knew that he had to leave, and to place his hopes on the chance that in his absence, his friends would consider his words. If not, then nothing would ever be resolved.

Sayaka watched Makoto walk away with apprehension. Even back in middle school, she had never seen Makoto's emotions just...explode like that. He was always so meek and sheepish - but today he had been firm and insistent. He actually spoke his mind - rather than letting others walk over him.

Not only this, but their earlier falling out made Sayaka feel like she was the furthest student from Makoto at the present. Even if all of this was cleared up, she would eventually have to address what it was that was bothering her if she wanted to save her friendship with the boy.

Each student opened their mouths to say something, a few shouting the boy's name in plea. They quickly realised it was all for naught, as well as the extent of their mistakes. They were again so furious and ashamed with themselves for not considering Makoto's feelings. For hurting him once again.

"That's right...fall in to despair..." Junko giggled discreetly. Mukuro glanced towards her sister, who was clearly enjoying herself. Mukuro however, had a feeling of unease consuming her. She frowned. Makoto was upset and it was partly her fault. The boy who had been kind to her and treated like any other girl. The boy who called her his friend and smiled at her, brightening her boring days.

The boy who Mukuro loved deeply.

* * *

Having left the corridor, Makoto didn't know where to go, so he just went up. He kept making his way up staircase after staircase - flight after flight. He wasn't sure how long he had been walking, until he reached a door. Lucky for him, the door to the roof wasn't locked, and Makoto stepped over toward the edge. He leaned against the railing overlooking the campus grounds. He momentarily scanned his surroundings aimlessly - seeing if he could spot his house from such a sight.

After a while, Makoto closed his eyes and let out a sigh. His mind flashed back to the first time he had spent time with the 77th class (outside of his delivery duties).

* * *

It was during these times that his life was the most hectic it had ever been - the students of the 77th class had completely shook up his world, changing his daily norms and moulding it to fit their schedules.

It properly began one evening when Makoto was lazing around his dorm room in the evening. He had just eaten dinner with his classmates - trying to stop Mondo and Ishimaru from fighting, as well as trying not to act too flustered when Sayaka had attempted to feed him (which earned her a glare from Kyouko). Makoto felt practically exhausted from yet another eventful dinner time.

There was something bothering him, however. Makoto felt as if during the past few days, he was being watched. Someone was observing him from the shadows, and he had no idea who it was or why it was him they were watching. He had tried to push it out of his mind or tell himself it was just paranoia, but Makoto felt someone's presence multiple times a day, challenging his thoughts that he was imagining things.

Almost shaking him from his contemplations, a piece of paper was pushed under Makoto's door. It was folded neatly, and upon first glance the writing was neat as well.

'Makoto. Please head to the courtyard post-haste. We await your arrival.'

The letter was not signed by anyone. Examining it, Makoto was unable to ascertain any clues from its contents, other than that it was multiply people who had requested his presence.

He wondered what anyone could want with him so late with the evening. He considered chalking it up as a prank and ignoring it, but Makoto couldn't shake the feeling that it was real, and he was making people wait for him, which made him deeply uncomfortable, it being in his nature to not want to disappoint anyone.

He carefully opened his dorm door, closing it behind him as quietly as he could, so as to not rouse the suspicion of any of his classmates who were currently residing in their respective rooms.

Upon reaching the location described, Makoto looked around to see who had called him here.

"Hello? Anybody there?" Makoto stopped when he heard a shuffle from close-by. He whipped his head around to see the cause, but hadn't expected to see what he thought he saw.

It was then that everything went black.

Makoto awoke with a groan. His head was killing him - the pain making it throb continuously.

Makoto's first thought was that he had been kidnapped again. This was hardly the first time such a thing had happened to the luckster, so he wouldn't be terribly surprised if it wasn't the last.

He opened his eyes. He was met by a boy with messy white hair leaning over him. He looked down on the boy with clear concern. Makoto recognised him from the 77th class - it being hard to remember such a strange hairstyle, though Makoto had no right to comment on a 'strange hairstyle'.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Makoto blinked in response, still feeling tired.

"You took quite a fall there. We hadn't planned on knocking you out, but Mikan was carrying one of Souda's wrenches to him when she tripped, and then - well I suppose you can guess what happened next."

The white-haired boy pointed a finger, gesturing above Makoto. It was then that Makoto realised that since he had came to, his head had been resting on the lap of a young girl with purple hair - each strand of different length. She was clearly distressed, and whimpered when Makoto looked up at her.

A boy with pink hair and a yellow jumpsuit called out from nearby, annoyance in his voice.

"I was just putting the final touches on this cool gift I made for you - a scooter designed by yours truly, when Tsumiki messed up the surprise." Makoto was confused even more. A present? He was pretty sure he had never spoke to the mechanic before. That goes for everyone else in the 77th class.

He had been in their classroom multiple times, but he had never held an actual conversation with any of them, always doing his duty by delivering documents to Chisa and then leaving to return to his own class.

"Admit it Souda, you were just trying to show off to Makoto, weren't you?" A girl with dark red hair entered Makoto's vision, mocking the boy who Makoto could now put a name to.

"I-I was not! And what about you, huh!? You made something for Makoto!" Another gift? Makoto had just formally met these people and they're already giving him gifts? He had no idea why they would go to such lengths for him - feeling guilty with nothing to offer in return.

"What is it?" Makoto found himself asking. It was the first time he had spoke since he woke up, which caused the students to smile in relief.

"Well...it's a photo album of pictures I took of you...that sounds creepy, I know." Mahiru fidgeted slightly.

'Huh? I don't remember agreeing to have photos taken of me. I haven't even seen this girl take any pictures of me either...could it be that she was...?'

A girl with glasses and braids spoke up next - if one were to use that description of the girl someone could easily mistake her for Makoto's classmate Touko Fukawa.

"I have also been monitoring you as per the young master's request." Next to her, a boy with blonde hair spoke up. He had a baby face and was fairly short - though Makoto made a note not to say that out loud.

"Just wanted to make sure one of your dumbass classmates like that pompadour prick didn't try anything on you."

Well that explained the feelings he had of being watched...Makoto likely felt Mahiru's presence, as Peko was highly skilled in hiding hers. It made Makoto feel slightly queezy when the realisation that he was in fact being watched at all times hit him.

Makoto carefully sat up from the nurse's lap. He turned to face her, with an apologetic smile on his face.

"Sorry to make you let me use your legs as a pillow." He nervously scratched the back of his head, accompanied with a slight chuckle.

"N-no! I'm the one who s-should be s-sorry!" Mikan clearly felt extremely guilty over he whole ordeal. It could have been life-threatening after all, but he held no grudge.

"You could've killed him you bitch!" A girl wearing a kimono with her hair tied into a ponytail scolded the nurse - not holding back with the crude and offensive remarks.

"I-I'm sorryyyyy!"

"Shut the hell up you dumb pig! Pigs don't speak Japanese, do they!?"

Makoto still didn't understand the situation he was in. It was like a huge blur. He had no idea why they had invited him here - at night no less. What did they want with him of all people?

There was his bad luck at play again. Only Makoto would have been hit in the head with a wrench accidentally. To his side, Mikan Tsumiki was apologising profusely, tears welling up in her eyes. Makoto noticed that his head had been bandaged - drawing the conclusion that it was the nurse's handiwork.

"Wow! Look at the spike on his head! Is he the legendary hero my country speaks of!?" Sonia patted Makoto's head - his ahoge popping right back up to its original state each time it was pressed down. Makoto winced slightly - his wound still fresh.

"Oh my! How inconsiderate of me. Please forgive me Makoto." Sonia amended her mistake - showing off her politeness.

"Oh, no it's fine." Makoto couldn't understand why, but he had the strongest feeling to bow down to Sonia at the moment. He shook the thought from his mind.

"Don't worry Makoto - these fuckers are crazy. Just stick with me and I'll make sure you're safe." Fuyuhiko crossed his arms in satisfaction of his offer - making Makoto an offer he can't refuse.

"M to the A to the KO to the O! Let's go jam! I'll teach you how to play! C'mon it'll be totally awesome~" Ibuki giggled while she swayed back and forth - clearly exuding boundless energy.

"Isn't it a bit late to be playing music?" Mahiru commented in an attempt to calm down the musician.

"Speaking of late," Makoto started, "why did you ask to meet me at night?" That was the last mystery Makoto needed cleared up.

"It's because they're around in the day time." Souda huffed.

"Are you referring to my classmates?" Makoto was fairly certain he already knew the answer would be yes.

"Yeah. They seem to be really territorial - especially over you. Not that we don't understand. If you were in our class we wouldn't want to hand you over either." Nagito gave another innocent smile after his explanation.

"Last question." Makoto looked over each of the students, who were waiting eagerly for him to continue his thought.

"Why me?"

"Hm?" Nagito tilted his head.

"I mean, why are you all doing this. Watching out for me, making me gifts...There's nothing special about me, so I don't get it."

The students of the 77th class all looked at each other questioningly. It was as if they were all in on some inside joke that Makoto had no inclusion in.

"Ah, what a humble underclassman we have. I'm so proud to be your senior!"

The rest of the 77th class all expressed similar sentiments, looking at Makoto fondly.

His question unanswered, Makoto had no reason to remain here longer.

"I'm...gonna head back now. I think I need to rest." Makoto's headache was getting the better of him - he needed to go to bed and relax.

"Oh we understand. Sorry about the injury too. Though you would think with your luck...Oh! Maybe your injury was lucky, because now we can all take care of you!"

"N-no thanks, I'm fine, really." Makoto denied the offer. All he wanted right now was to be alone so he could sleep his pounding headache off.

Mikan shakily offered to escort Makoto back to his room, but he waved her off kindly. As he returned to his dorm, Makoto was trying to wrap his head around what had just happened. It was his first time properly meeting his upperclassmen - and it was an eventful meeting to say the least.

Makoto took a painkiller for his headache before settling down and trying to sleep.

* * *

Makoto had been invited by the 77th class to join them on a class trip to Towa city - with these sorts of trips and outings being frequent for the students of Hope's Peak, with them being seen as learning opportunities, as well as a break from school work (which was welcomed by everyone).

It had been arranged for the students to stay in a hotel after a day out of activities, and it was a rather nice-looking hotel at that.

Inside the hotel, the boys of the 77th class (including Makoto) had gathered together in a circle, as per the request of Souda and Teruteru. They had practically all barged into Makoto's room, with only Nagito apologising for the intrusion.

"Gentelmen, we've called you here tonight for a very important reason. A man's fantasy, if you will." Teruteru spoke smoothly - sounding enigmatic.

"A man's fantasy?" Makoto voiced the question on the minds of the other males, which made Teruteru let out a chuckle.

"Oh my naive Makoto." He clucked his tongue.

"Of course I mean peeking on the ladies." Teruteru whispered with a smirk.

"W-we can't do this! It's wrong!" Ryouta was clearly flustered, expressing his feelings toward the idea.

"I have no interest on spying on the fairer sex. If we were caught, then the gates of hell would open, dragging us to the dark abyss." Gundham's response was expected.

"I don't like the idea either. Plus, if Akane caught you, she'd rip your head off." Nekomaru's statement made everyone momentarily imagine an angry Akane. It was not something they wanted to mess with.

Teruteru thought for a moment before coming up with a mischievous idea.

"Gundham, this is a journey into the dark unknown abyss that is the women's bath!"

"Unknown...abyss...?"

"Don't fall for it Tanaka! Makoto yelled. It was too late.

"FUAHAHAHAHAHA! I shall join you then, on your journey to the underworld! May it be wrought with perils at every turn!"

Satisfied with his convincing words, Teruteru turned to Nekomaru.

"Nidai, can you really say that you don't want to? We need our coach to guide us to success." The team manager thought for a few moments.

"Well, when you put it like that...what the hell. I'm in. This plan better not be shit." Souda fist-pumped the air with a 'yesssss'.

The gangster watched this while becoming gradually more and more annoyed.

"This is fuckin' dumb. I'm leaving." Fuyuhiko stood up and headed over to the door.

"Peko will be there~" Fuyuhiko froze in his tracks. His left eye twitched in frustration as he turned to angrily face the mechanic.

"What!? What makes you think I care about-"

"Okay so now everyone's on board, let's begin our plan I have titled; 'Hope's Peek'." Multiple students sighed at the pun, while Fuyuhiko kept on yelling in the background.

"Hey you bastard! Listen to me!"

"So, first off, we need to devise a strategy to get the girls to bathe at the same time the man's bath is available to us."

Teruteru produced a document from under his kimono - reading it aloud.

"Our allocated bathing time is from 8:30 to 9:30. As the girls' bathing time is from 9 to 10, we must make sure that they do not enter the baths after 9:30."

It was currently 8:45 - the allocated time for the girls approaching.

"Makoto - you go convince the girls to take a bath!" Souda shook the luckster by the shoulders to emphasise the importance of the statement.

"What!? Why me? And besides, they wouldn't listen to me - they would know something's up!"

"No, if it's Makoto that suggests it, it just might work..." Teruteru put his hand under his chin in deep thought. He concluded that the girls viewed Makoto as so innocent, that would never possibly think that he would plan something indecent.

"Nagito - what do you think about this." The fellow luckster was Makoto's only hope at this point. He really couldn't ever see Nagito being all to interested in such a plan.

"I'm just going with the flow here." He smiled at the distressed Makoto, as Souda continued to drag him down the hall.

"No, guys I don't want to do this! It's not right!"

Souda quickly pressed the doorbell to the girls room, before sprinting toward his other classmates who were huddled around the hallway corner.

To door opened, revealing Sonia dressed in a kimono of her own.

"Oh, Makoto! Please, come inside!" Sonia led Makoto into the room without him having to even say a word. Makoto opened his mouth in protest, but knew that he couldn't say anything while the rest of the males were watching him.

"He breached the girls room just like that! Is this the power of the Super Highschool Level Luck!?"

"HOLY SHIT!" Nekomaru eloquently expressed his surprise.

"Makoto Naegi...most impressive." Gundham sneered.

"Amazing! Seeing Makoto's luck at work right before my eyes! I'm so glad to be alive!" Nagito was in awe of Makoto's talent, not noticing Makoto's protest as Sonia practically dragged him inside.

* * *

"Huh? Why is there a boy in the girls' room?" Mahiru clearly disapproved Makoto's presence, while the other students greeted him.

"I bet he's here to perv on the girls - what a creep." Hiyoko's comment caused Makoto to wince slightly, reminding him of the reason the rest of the males made him come here.

"Now now, this is Makoto we are referring to. Is there something we can do for you?" Sonia's innocent smile made Makoto fell disgusted with himself for even being here - despite how he wasn't here of his own volition.

Makoto thought he heard Hiyoko mutter something along the lines of: "he's too much of a wuss to try anyway", but opted to ignore the insult - as if someone were to react to every insult Hiyoko threw out, there would be no end to it.

Makoto was nervous. He had to pick his words carefully. He would be betraying his fellow males, but the idea of tricking the girls and then spying on them was something Makoto was not on board with in the slightest. He had to prevent it somehow.

"The bath...is broken!"

The girls looked at Makoto oddly.

"What a jokester!" Akane hollered.

'Crap. This isn't going to plan.' Makoto mentally slapped himself.

'What can I say to stop them...?'

'I got it!' Makoto had an 'eureka' moment of sorts.

"The hotel manager has already been to our rooms, and told us to pass this on to you guys. That's why I'm here actually."

So far so good. Makoto was managing to tie everything up nicely while not arousing much suspicion.

"For the girls, the bath times have changed to 9:30 to 10. The manager said he was sorry for the inconvenience. Something about

"Oh I see." Sonia seemed to be the first to take the bait.

"Okay that's fine." Then Mahiru.

"Whatever, it doesn't really matter to me anyways." Akane just scratched her head, being fairly flippant towards it all.

Mission accomplished, Makoto was about to leave the girl's room when he felt a tug on his kimono.

Chiaki turned toward the luckster. "Hey Naegi, there's a games room downstairs - they have a few arcade machines. Wanna go later?" Upon asking her question, Chiaki titled her head slightly - an action that Makoto found to be incredibly cute.

"S-sure Nanami."

Chikai smiled in response, getting up to join the rest of her friends who were preparing to head to the baths at 9:30, jut as Makoto had planned.

"Well I'm heading off now. I'll see you guys later." Makoto waved to the girls, then attempting to make an abrupt exit.

"Huh? Why doesn't he just come in with us?" Akane was oblivious as ever. It was almost impossible to embarrass her - even the prospect of Makoto being present in their bath not fazing her in the slightest.

Mahiru simply sighed.

"Just no."

* * *

Upon leaving the girl's room, Makoto was bombarded with questions from Teruteru and Souda. Makoto let them down gently, claiming that he did the best that he could, but the girls were already dead-set on entering the baths at 9:30.

The two boys moaned for a bit, but Makoto suggested they all go take a bath themselves, which the rest of the males agreed to.

* * *

After their bath, the students made their way over to the recreation room located in the far end of the hotel. It was just as Chiaki had said - arcade machines adorned the room, with a pool table and a table tennis table also situated in the centre of the room.

"I'm gonna give it my best, Nanami!" Makoto looked confident for someone who was about to be beat in every game.

The room had a total of 5 machines - Chiaki choosing a multiplayer racing game known as 'plumber kart' to play first.

The players chose their characters - Makoto choosing the most generic character on the roster.

No matter what he did, Chiaki was one step ahead of him. Her manoeuvres were so fast that Makoto could barely register she had imputed a command before she passed him, taking the lead.

"Thanks Naegi, that was fun. Wanna play again?" After seeing Chiaki's happiness of having a player 2, there was no way that Makoto could be annoyed that he lost. He nodded to Chiaki's offer, preparing himself for the next match.

After losing to Chiaki on every machine twice over, Makoto was called over to the table tennis table by an excited Ibuki.

"We're playing doubles, and Ibuki wants her main man Makoto on her side!" Ibuki giggled while bouncing on her heels.

"Ugh! Why do I have to have this dumb pig on my team!?" On the other side of the table stood Hiyoko and Mikan - the worst possible match-up.

"I-I'm so sorry! Please forgive me!"

"Huh? I don't remember asking for your input. Well, did I?"

"I'm sorryyyyy!"

Makoto and Ibuki prepared themselves for the match.

Ibuki served first, having no mercy on the worried Mikan, sending a fast shot to her.

Mikan screeched when she saw the ball heading her way, and in response she closed her eyes and hit the ball as hard as she could to get it away from her.

"Gah!" It hit Makoto square in the forehead - casing him to stumble backwards and lose his balance. While falling, he reached out for whatever he could get a grip on to straighten himself, this being Ibuki.

The two fell to the ground in a heap.

Groaning, Makoto began to get up, using his arms to support himself.

"Makoto...Ibuki didn't know you were so daring." Ibuki blushed slightly as she looked up at Makoto.

Makoto then realised that he was leaning over the musician - his arms placed either side of her, making it look like he was pinning her down. This could have easily caused a misunderstanding. And it did.

"Geez this is all boys think about, isn't it?" Mahiru chided, sending a glare to Makoto.

"I knew Makoto was a creep - he acts innocent but then he pounces like a dog in heat."

"Y-you've got that wrong!" Makoto protested - sounding more like a plea.

He moved to stand up, but Ibuki prevented him from doing so by grabbing his wrists.

"I don't mind Makoto." Ibuki was clearly teasing him now. Makoto sighed as he shook Ibuki from him, standing up and extending a had to help her up. She accepted.

"Aww you're no fun." Ibuki pouted.

At that moment, the other luckster entered the recreational room.

"Hey guys - just came to let you all know a game of truth or dare is gonna begin soon. Teruteru and Souda are setting things up in Makoto's room." After making the announcement, Nagito left, presumably to head back up to Makoto's room for the game.

Only a few complaints were heard from Hiyoko and Fuyuhiko, but they still agreed to participate.

* * *

The students all gathered around in a large circle in preparation for the game. An empty bottle of grape juice had been procured, as well as drinks and snacks. The students were ready for a fun night.

The door flung open, revealing the teacher of class 77 donning a kimono of her own. She had a look of anger on her face.

"Miss Yukizome!" Sonia called out in surprise. The rest of the students sat there - mouths wide.

Chisa put her hands on her hips in annoyance.

"You guys aren't supposed to be up this late - let alone boys and girls all being together after dark!"

Her students didn't know what to say. A few were about to voice an excuse, when Chisa spoke out.

"I'll let it slide on one condition - you let me join in on the fun." She finished her demands with a playful wink.

"Is this bitch really our teacher?" Fuyuhiko sighed.

"She is only a few years older than us after all." Mahiru responded with an awkward laugh.

Chisa took a space next to Makoto - smiling over at him as the first round of the game began.

The bottle spun, each of the participants waiting in anticipation to see who would end up playing first.

"Oh, would you look at that. Looks like I'm first." The bottle had landed on Nagito - something that didn't surprise anyone.

"Fine, truth or dare Komeada?" Souda didn't sound interested at all - likely aiming to get the luckster's turn over as fast as possible.

"I choose...hope!

"That's not one of the options!"

"Haha I was just kidding. I'll choose truth." Nagito joked with a sly smile.

"Even though he picked truth, I still refuse to believe any shit that comes from that guy's mouth." Fuyuhiko remarked, always sceptical of Nagito and his eccentricities.

"Okay then, you got a thing for anyone here?" It quickly became apparent to Makoto that this question would be repeated many, many times during the duration of the game.

A small grin made its way to Nagito's face.

"All of you."

"What!?" Everyone present was taken aback by Nagito's answer. It certainly was not what they were expecting to hear.

"I'm in love with the hope that sleeps inside of you all." Nagito placed a hand on his chest in order to emphasise his confession. Everyone deadpanned.

"Oh."

"Makes sense...I guess."

"I really don't know what we were expecting for a moment there..."

"Once a creep, always a creep."

With Nagito's questionable answer having been said, the gave advanced to its next round.

The bottle spun again, landing on...Nagito. Again and again, the bottle spun, ending up with the same result each time.

Nagito chucked lightly as Souda stood up, clearly furious with the lucky student's unexplainable power.

"That's it! From now on we're gonna go around in a circle!"

Next up was Gundham, who laughed maniacally upon being faced with the choice.

"I shall choose dare - for if I reveal a dark truth, you mere mortals will bleed from yours ears and have nightmares for life!"

"...you could've just said 'dare', but whatever. Who has a dare for Tanaka?"

"Oh, I have one!" Teruteru stood up with enthusiasm.

"Tanaka has to run a lap around the hotel wearing only his scarf!" A few students spluttered in laugher over this, but no-one took the suggestion seriously.

Except Gundham.

"FUAHAHAHAHAHA! WATCH AS THIS GEHENA SPLITS IN TWO FROM THE MIGHT OF GUNDHAM TANAKA!"

"Wait, Gundham don't do it!" Chisa reached out to grab the breeder's arm, but he was gone before anyone would have the chance to deter him.

"This is so unlike Gundham. Something must have happened to him...no...could it be!? Has Gundham been possessed by a demon!?" Sonia's theory was quickly debunked, but the question still remained.

"Wait, are those...?" Chisa examined the chocolates among the snacks compiled for the game. They looked homemade. She let out a small gasp loose when she had confirmed her suspicions. She recognised that taste almost instantly.

"Teruteru..." Chisa began, voice low and intimidating. Teruteru shot up, trembling upon the realisation that he had been caught out.

"Y-yes Miss Yukizome?" He twiddled his forefingers together, avoiding eye contact. Acting innocent wouldn't fool Chisa.

A few seconds later and Teruteru was hanging out of a nearby wall. Chisa made a mental note to pay for that as she turned back to everyone.

Teruteru had earlier prepared these alcoholic chocolates for the purpose of the game. He wanted things to get more 'saucy', and to do this he thought that getting his fellow classmates drunk would be rather effective. It clearly worked, as Gundham could be heard shouting from the ground.

Everyone present looked down on the breeder, some laughing, some cringing. Everyone was in agreement with one thing, however.

"Gundham...is a real lightweight, huh?"

* * *

Re-entering the room, Gundham had his scarf covering most of his face, in order to hide his embarrassment. After falling in an outdoor pool while on his run, it seemed he had sobered up somewhat. Despite his embarrassment, the students were equally impressed (even Souda who admitted it begrudgingly) with Gundham's courage to do such a thing.

The game resumed, with Nekomaru who was sitting next to Gundham being up next. Nekomaru chose dare - telling everyone to 'DO YOUR WORST HAHAHA!'

"Oh, I have one." Chiaki put her hand up in suggestion.

"Nekomaru, you can't yell or swear until the end of the game." The students agreed amongst themselves that it was a good idea considering how hard it would be to actually embarrass or make Nekokaru feel uncomfortable through conventional means. That guy shared everything.

"SHIT!" Nekomaru bellowed out after hearing the dare.

"Well he's already fucked up." Fuyuhiko face-palmed.

"Ooh! That means he gets a penalty!" Souda announced the rule that seemingly came out of no-where.

"Nekomaru, you have to kiss whoever the group votes for! This ought to be good!"

Everyone pointed to Souda.

"Huh? Wait a second, what's all this about?" Souda yelped as Nekomaru drew closer to him, causing him to back away in terror.

"PUCKER UP!"

Souda yelled in protest. Everyone looked away as the mechanic's cries echoed throughout the room.

'Rest in peace Kazuichi. We won't forget you.' Makoto thought about his fallen comrade.

Finally the turn that each student awaited had arrived. All eyes were on Makoto, as he gulped due to the immense pressure he was currently feeling. The aura of the room completely changed. The students and Chisa each knew that they had only one shot, and that it was imperative that it was not wasted in the slightest.

Makoto was afraid - and rightly so. The others emitted conniving laughs - something that made Makoto's hair stand on edge. He was at their mercy - and there was nothing he could do. Their only limit was their imagination.

Nagito spoke up first. "So Makoto, hope or despair? Oh, sorry, I mean truth or dare?"

Nagito's 'slip up' was met with exasperated sighs from the students, as Makoto considered his options.

Makoto knew that if he chose 'truth', then he would just be asked the same question Nagito had been asked prior. Besides, he knew that if he were to give an answer to their question, they would likely all be disappointed. That's why, against Makoto's better judgement, he chose 'dare'.

A few of the students looked shocked at Makoto's decision, having expected him to chose truth and play it safe.

The difficulties arised when it came to deciding on Makoto's dare. Simply put, everyone wanted in on the action.

"I've got a great idea!"

"No no, my idea is better!"

"Wait guys, hear me out here!"

"There's no point - you'll just say something dumb!"

"Um...if I may, c-can I suggest something...?"

"Who gave you permission to speak!?"

"I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT WE SHOULD GET HIM TO DO!"

"Enough!" Everyone ceased their bickering within seconds. No one had noticed when or how, but the imposter had changed from Ryouta Mitarai to Byakuya Togami - now exuding a commanding and regal aura that made even Sonia nervous.

He continued, pushing his glasses up. "I shall decide Makoto's dare." For a moment, Makoto breathed a sigh of relief. If it was anyone he could rely on being sensible, it was the imposter - especially when he was adopting the personality of his stern classmate Byakuya.

Togami called each of the participants, barring Makoto over one by one, having them whisper their idea of a dare to him. After each player had spoken, Togami crossed his arms, addressing the crowd.

"I have heard your ideas, and have consolidated them all into one. Makoto Naegi, you are to kiss a person in this room." Togami said this like it was the most nonchalant thing in the world.

"What!?"

"I fail to see the problem. This is what the majority of the students wanted to see."

"Even the guys?" Makoto looked toward his fellow males in confirmation. He hoped it wasn't true.

"We just wanted to help our buddy out with the ladies!" Souda grinned, showing his pointed teeth.

"...though we didn't think the guys were included in this too, so try to pick a girl. Also, if you pick Sonia I'll...I'll..." Souda began to well up at the thought, being unable to finish the sentence. His earlier traumatic event was still fresh in his mind.

"But why based on luck?"

"That would be because of me." Nagito started. "I wanted to see how your luck would manifest itself in such a situation." He chuckled, waving his hand.

For a second, Makoto considered if his luck would save him if he tried his chances climbing down from the balcony, but knowing his luck, the balcony would likely fall off when Makoto was climbing off it.

All eyes were on him once again. Makoto knew running wasn't an option. He had to accept his fate - no matter how embarrassing it may be. His face was bright red.

He let out a sigh.

"So, how will we decide this then?"

Togami thought for a second. Satisfied with his conclusion, he pulled out a white handkerchief from his pocket. He passed it to Makoto.

"Put this on around your eyes." Makoto was confused as to where he was going with this at first, but begrudgingly put the makeshift blindfold on.

Having donned the blindfold, Togami continued his explanation.

"Now you will spin around, pointing ahead of you when you stop. The person you are pointing to will be the 'winner'." Makoto wasn't sure if he should be offended or not due to Togami putting that last part in quotations.

Makoto knew his 'luck' would betray him here. It would give him the complete opposite of what he wanted - it would likely end up having Makoto choose a male.

The students and Chisa watched Makoto with keen interest as he spun around. The girls were wishing that Makoto would land on them, while the boys were begging him not to land on them. Both the males and the females playing had their hearts beating furiously fast - albeit for a different reason.

Makoto stopped.

His finger pointed out toward the person who he had to kiss, as per the rules of truth or dare. Makoto knew it wouldn't be fair for him to back down now considering the rest of the students all fulfilled their tasks when it came to their turns.

Everyone gasped in awe.

Makoto used his free hand to take off his blindfold, slowly and apprehensively opening his eyes to meet his fate.

Opposite to Makoto's pointing finger, sat the gamer Nanami Chiaki.

Makoto gasped as well.

Chiaki looked up at Makoto with apparent shock on her face as well. She was clearly trying to hide her embarrassment.

Chiaki stood up, taking a step towards Makoto.

"Are you...really okay with this?" Makoto questioned warily.

"I don't mind." She smiled at the luckster, causing his heart rate to increase slightly.

"But shouldn't your first kiss be with someone you like? I feel bad taking it from you..."

"I know. It's fine with me." Chiaki's words put Makoto at ease. As always, he was too dense to realise the deeper meaning behind her words, and she knew this would be the case. She decided that it would be best to have that discussion another time.

On the outside, Chiaki remained rather stoic considering the circumstances, but on the inside she was screaming in happiness, worry, and everything in-between.

Makoto was practically shaking as he carefully placed his hands on the gamer's shoulders.

He was trying his hardest to avoid any eye-contact - his blush intensifying as the seconds passed.

In the end he decided to just go for it. His name was now being chanted by the others, so Makoto knew he couldn't back down now. Also, he wouldn't admit it out loud, but he wanted to do this. At first he was apprehensive about leaving his first kiss up to chance - believing you should only kiss someone who you like, but if it's Chiaki, Makoto didn't mind.

He leaned in, closing his eyes. She did the same.

It was a short kiss, but a kiss nonetheless. Makoto broke away first, looking into Chiaki's eyes.

Everyone cheered. Some whistled. Makoto and Chiaki blushed furiously, but smiled at each other with an awkward laugh.

* * *

Makoto smiled as he reminisced. His memories with class 77 - though hectic and strange, with a few being uncomfortable, were memories he would never replace. He was dearly fond of his friends from both classes, and nothing would ever change that.

He folded his arms on the railing, resting his chin atop them. The morning announcements sounded across the campus.

Makoto pushed himself up from the railing, turning to head back to the door to the roof and back to class.

A strong gust of wind came out of no where. Its strength and intensity was like something Makoto had never felt before. In seconds Makoto was thrust against the railings of the rooftop. He felt pain as the wind continued to slam into him, pushing him harder and harder into the railing.

"W-what the heck is going on!?" Makoto's cries were drowned out by the raging gusts. He wondered if it had anything to do with how high up he was, but any thought process was interrupted by the fact that Makoto was being made to lean further and further over the railing he was grasping onto.

A final large gust was the last push needed to send Makoto over the edge - quite literally.

Makoto fell.

Of course he did. It only made sense with his terrible luck.

What were the odds that the one time he head up to the roof that violent winds would come from nowhere and force him off. It was like fate was playing a cruel joke on him. It was completely unpredictable, unprecedented and unbelievable.

Makoto thrust out his hand just in time to get a grip on the ledge of the roof. The intensity of the wind had died down for the most part now, but being built the way he was, he didn't not have enough strength to pull himself up, let alone hold on until help arrived.

Not like help would arrive.

Makoto mentally cursed himself for not joining Nekomaru for more training - or drinking more of Sakura's protein shakes.

He winced as his muscles began to strain, his strength slowly fading. This was it. All of Makoto's life came to this moment: dying alone in such a ridiculous circumstance that Makoto almost wanted to refuse to accept it. But there was nothing he could do.

His hand began to slip.

He couldn't hold on.

He let go.

He fell.

He would die.

The fall would kill him.

Makoto was going to die.

Alone.

Without making up with his friends.

Regrets.

He closed his eyes.

"Makoto!"

His eyes flung open.

Chiaki grasped Makoto's hand as hard as she could. It was her who had made it over to him just in time - being the first to notice what had happened. She was pushing her arm through the railing, straining herself as her face was pushed up right against it, causing her discomfort.

"Don't worry, I won't let go." Those simple words gave Makoto hope. It was a brief shimmer, but it was there. His thoughts of dying were being overwritten with a new thought.

Live.

Makoto could hear the shouts of multiple members of class 77 and 78, as they sprinted over to Chiaki in order to aid her. Due to the awkward angle, the best they could do was to pull on Chiaki, who would in turn pull Makoto up.

"How...how did you all find me?"

"We were looking for you silly!" Aoi remarked as she pulled. Alongside her was Akane and Mondo who were trying to pull the gamer as hard as they could.

"This is like something out of a video game." Chiaki commented, using all of her strength alongside her classmates. If Makoto wasn't being faced with a fall of a few hundred meters he might've laughed. Right now he was more focused on not dying.

The 77th class and the 78th class working together - Makoto thought he'd never see the day.

"Leave this to us!" Nekomaru's voice bellowed as he and Sakura arrived to the rooftop, having searched in different areas at first. Each took a group of bars, bending them with ease in order for Makoto to be pulled through.

Chiaki and the students gave a final heave as they put all their strength into pulling Makoto up. Makoto managed to reach the ledge with his other hand, pushing himself up as they pulled. Thanks to Nekomaru and Sakura, Makoto fit through the bars with ease, collapsing to the floor when he touched the ground.

"Guess our strength stats increased." Chiaki innocently joked. Makoto smiled back at the gamer, and then to his friends in turn.

"You guys all saved me..."

It seemed as if they all had not realised it themselves, but if it wasn't for each of them searching, finding and helping Makoto, then he would've certainly died.

"Well SOME of us did more work than others." Akane commented, gesturing over to Byakuya.

He pushed his glasses up in response.

"I was supervising. I have no use for brute strength. This sort of work is best suited for you less intelligently inclined types."

"What'd you say!?"

"Akane, c'mon leave it." Nekomaru patted the gymnast on the shoulder, causing her to relent.

"Feh. Fine."

Kyouko turned to the gamer.

"Nanami, how did you know Makoto would be up here?"

"Well, in my games when there's an argument, the roof is usually the point of resolution." Makoto felt his stomach drop for a moment upon realising his reason for survival was due to a video game Chiaki played.

"Thank you everyone." Makoto was truly thankful his friends had been there for him. He was still trying to calm his heart down, when he heard his name being called in a soft but serious tone.

"Makoto." Sonia stepped forth as a representative of the classes.

"I speak for everyone here when I say that we are truly sorry for our past actions. We had ignored not only your feelings, but your words also. We see now that it is foolish of us to persist in fighting over your time, as well as trying to force you to spend time with us." She paused for a moment to let Makoto take her words in, before continuing.

"But it's just that we all care for you so much Makoto. We call wish to spend our time with you. You may not notice this yourself, but you are a wonderful, kind and optimistic person who brightens each of our days. You are truly special to us all. We were so wrong to treat you the way we have."

Makoto's breath caught. Time and time again he had wondered why the 77th and 78th class expressed such an interest in him. No matter how long he thought about it, he never came to a conclusion that satisfied him. Sonia's words - the sentiments of his classmates and friends, were all too much for Makoto. He felt he didn't deserve them.

"Ready everyone? All together now."

"We're sorry!" The students from both classes shouted toward Makoto. Even Byakuya had quietly joined in - but nobody had noticed it. His pride wouldn't let them.

The smiles from Makoto's friends quickly changed to worry as they looked at the luckster.

Tears were streaming down Makoto's face.

He couldn't help it. Those words, the apology, he felt so touched. In the end he couldn't contain his emotions, so he let them out.

Makoto looked up at his concerned friends with the most hope-filled smile they had ever seen.

"I'm so lucky to have you all."

* * *

Junko had not bothered to join her classmates in their search for Makoto. She already knew something would happen on the roof because of Makoto's terrible luck, so she headed over to the fountain near the reserve course in order to get a better view for her amusement.

It was before school, so not many students were around. Her destination was in sight, so Junko picked up the pace ever-so-slightly.

An average-looking boy walked past her, causing her to stop in her tracks. She whirled around to face the boy, her eyes widening when she saw him. Her mind was telling her to both approach and run away from the boy at the same time. Never before had her analysis ability made her feel such strong results.

In all of her shock, she was momentarily confused. Such a bland-looking boy was setting off such intense sirens inside of her head. She had never felt this before.

She had to move.

"You!" She ran to the boy, roughly grabbing his arm to halt him from walking. She looked into his eyes. They were dull - no spark inside of them. He reacted with shock just like how any normal person in his situation would. She studied his face intently.

A flicker of red confirmed her suspicions. Something powerful was sleeping inside of this boy. Something that he was trying to hide.

"Hmm...something seems...different about you. What's your name?"

"Ha-Hajime Hinata." The boy responded with a blush prudent on his nervous-looking face.

Junko narrowed her eyes at him, as they remained that way for a moment. The boy noticed that she noticed. He had no idea how, but she had seen. He straightened his back, regaining him composure, speaking low and carefully.

"Are you referring to me, or to him?" The boy knew that she could see right through him.

She smiled. "Let's say for now I'm talking to him."

The boy closed his eyes, reopening them to reveal a piercing gaze of blood red. The boy now exuded an aura she had never felt before.

"Izuru Kamakura."

"You're not a regular run-of-the-mill kinda guy, are you?"

"I see no reason to talk to someone as boring as you."

Junko feigned hurt. "Ouch. Well anyway let's change subject for now."

"So, I have to ask. Who is that other boy? He seems so average compared to the feel you give off." Izuru's red eyes were focused on something far off in the distance. His disinterest in the conversation was evident, as he did not look Junko's way once.

"I am what is left. He is what should be. I am an undesirable existence." Izuru spoke in a monotonous voice - almost robotic - cold and devoid of emotion.

"He now holds the name of Hajime Hinata. It no longer belongs to me."

"And you? Who is Izuru Kamakura?"

She had half expected him to ignore her completely, but an almost melancholy look appeared on the boy's face for only a moment.

"Izuru Kamakura was born with no emotions. His parents, peers and teachers were all wary of him. He was seen as anomaly. It was not as if he did not have the capacity to feel, he was simply unable to."

"His parents constantly asked him why he had to be their child. Why he was the way he was. Not even he could explain it. When they were frustrated with him, they lashed out at him. When he showed no reaction to that, they broke down."

"Due to not being held back by emotions, he was able to learn at a previously undocumented rate. If there existed a skill or a talent, he possessed it. He needed to try something a sole time before he became a master in the field. Soon he became bored of everything. Nothing could satisfy him."

"He was constantly in the hospital. Despite his talents, his parents believed him to be a defect - an error in his mental programming. He was passed around to many specialists, until one neurologist proposed an answer the others had not. They would force him to feel by re-writing the errors in his programming."

"They stimulated the limbic system of his brain. They had found that it had not been functioning correctly - being responsible for the hindrances in the boy's capacity to feel emotion."

"Izuru Kamakura was suppressed, and thus Hajime Hinata was 'born'." Izuru looked down, holding his hands up as he examined them.

"But somehow, I remained. My consciousness was not erased. From then on I have housed the body of Hajime Hinata in secret."

Junko raised an eyebrow. His story had served to interest and entertain her somewhat.

"I am not sure why I told you all this."

"So like, let me get this straight - your parents wanted to erase you completely because you weren't 'normal', and you just let it happen? You didn't even try to resist with those abilities of yours?"

"I wanted nothing more than to rid myself of my constant boredom. Life had no meaning to me. Talent had no meaning to me."

"Emotions were foreign to me. I could not feel. I wanted to know what 'feeling' was like. Without being able to feel, everything was dull and boring. Colourless. The prospect of experiencing the only things I could not was interesting to me."

Junko shifted her weight, tilting her head quizzically.

"What about Hajime Hinata. What's his story?"

"He pursues talent. It is because of my existence that he feels inadequate." Izuru's eyes flashed green as he clenched his fist.

Junko thought for a moment. He conclusion made her smile at the boy.

"Don't you see Kamakura? There is no need for Hajime Hinata. That boy has limits - you can do anything. You tried to free yourself from your boredom by allowing your existence to disappear, but it doesn't have to be like that. I can show you something entertaining."

Junko's smile turned menacing.

"I can show you despair."

Izuru had enough. He didn't wish to continue to speak with someone so boring. Junko slowly walked over to Izuru, extending her arms in offering. Izuru pinned Junko down with the heel of his shoe.

She laughed.

"You're a god Kamakura! A god among men! This world isn't suited to you! There's no reason to not destroy it!" She looked up at him from her pinned position. Her eyes were wide.

"If you join me, we can bring about the end together! We can burn this world to the ground and experience the unpredictability of glorious, wonderful despair!"

"I think not." His short answer threw Junko off-guard.

"Huh?" She blinked a few times in disbelief.

"I have to reason to believe that despair can offer me any interest. What can despair offer me over the promise of hope from that boy." He continued.

"Prove it to me. Prove that your despair is more unpredictable than his hope." There it was - that word. 'Hope' - the word Junko Enoshima despised to no end. She would destroy it, she wanted to relish in watching all hope drain from the world.

"That boy, tell me he isn't-" Junko was cut off. She already knew the answer to her question. She just didn't want to accept it. The name that made her infuriated beyond belief. The name that she loved to hate.

"Makoto Naegi."

* * *

 **So there you have it, how Makoto had his first kiss (which quite a few people have been wondering about).**

 **If anyone was wondering why Makoto and Chiaki was referring to eachother by their last names, that's because chapter 3 hadn't happened yet, with that event being a flashback.**

 **Also in this AU the connection between Peko and Fuyuhiko is known throughout the 77th class so that wasn't a mistake on my part or anything.**

 **I already knew who I wanted Makoto to choose for the dare, but for fun I entered everyone's name into a name randomizer - and I kid you not, NAGITO FREAKING KOMEADA WAS CHOSEN. WHAT ARE THE ODDS!?.**

 **(1 in 17)**

 **Here's an alternate ending to the chapter that I just had to include.**

 **Junko's smile turned menacing.**

 **"I can show you despair."**

 **Izuru looked at the fashionista blandly. He could tell that the title was a facade.**

 **When he stayed silent, she spoke in a sing-song voice.**

 **"I can show you despair~"**

 **"No."**

 **"Burning, suffering, sadness~"**

 **"What are you doing?"**

 **"Tell me, princess, now when did you last let your heart decide?"**

 **"Did you just call me a princess...?"**

 **"I can open your eyes (to despair), take you wonder by wonder, over sideways and under on a magic carpet ride~"**

 **"A magic carpet sounds inconceivable but interesting."**

 **"A whole new world!"**

 **"Okay that's enough." Izuru put Junko in a chokehold until she stopped singing. She was out cold.**

 **"If this is what despair is like I'd rather not see it."**

 **Then after that, there's an alternate ending to this scene:**

 **"Dat boy...he isn't..." Junko was cut off.**

 **Makoto rode by on a unicycle.**

 **"Oh shit whaddup?"**

 **I know that meme is dead but I couldn't stop thinking about it there.**

 **So yeah, weirdness aside, I just want to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to everyone who has read and supported this story. I never really respected this to get the reception it got, but I'm honestly really happy that everyone seems to be enjoying it so far. To all those who favourited, followed and reviewed, please know that it's honestly because of you guys that I get the drive to write more. Every review or follow always puts a smile on my face and brightens my mood. I'm really enjoying writing this story so far. It will end up being my largest work on this website, but that just goes to show how much effort I try to but into each chapter.**

 **Thanks a ton for sticking with me everyone, and to those of you who are new, welcome, I hope you join us for the rest of the ride. Please review with your thoughts for this chapter - or even with your thoughts for this story so far as a whole. Likes, dislikes? Wishes for future chapters? I wanna hear them all. I look forward to seeing you all again in the next chapters, as Makoto Naegi's story continues. For now, I'll see you all later. Peace out!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey guys! This is a little Halloween chapter that's really late haha...With the sports day arc taking place on the second Monday of October, of course this chapter skips slightly ahead to the end of the month: October 31st.**

 **Edit: This chapter has had its ending re-written. Special thanks to Fire lord 626 and Arcawolf for the advice.**

* * *

The Unlucky Luckster and the 77th Class - Chapter 11

"A Halloween party?" Makoto's head titled slightly at the proposition. In front of him was an overly-excited Sonia Nevermind, who seemed to be getting rather worked up over the prospect as she spoke.

"Yes! A party where we all dress up as monsters and killers! This sounds exciting does it not!" Makoto offered a nervous chuckle as response to the enthusiasm practically overflowing from the princess.

Makoto considered for a moment. His own class had proposed a Halloween party to celebrate the evening, but nothing was yet solidified. Regardless, Makoto still felt bad accepting an offer to another party when he had already agreed to one.

He was about to open his mouth, when Sonia interjected.

"Of course, it is entirely up to you if you wish to attend Makoto," Sonia spoke softly "though I would be truly happy if you did." Her ever-present bright smile was as always infectious to Makoto. He flashed a smile back to her, taking the few extra seconds gained in order to think of a way to let the girl down lightly. He felt bad that he had to decline, but saw no other choice present to him, having his prior obligations to consider.

"Listen, Sonia I-" Makoto began - quickly getting cut-off.

"Oh hey Makoto, you're coming to the party too? Hell yeah!" Souda slung his arm around Makoto's shoulder while flashing a toothy grin.

"Well, about that...I-"

"Guess this just got a bit less lame." Fuyuhiko remarked from his seat, legs up on the table.

"Makoto is coming? Yay." Chiaki's smile stopped Makoto's attempts of protest. He looked around at his friends, all of whom were looking toward him with smiles and evident excitement on their faces.

He was in too deep. Past the point of no return. To tell them that he wouldn't be able to attend would be like crushing their combined hopes.

Makoto couldn't bare to disappoint his friends. He now had the chance to choose how to allot his time, with the other students being more mindful of Makoto's decisions, yet when it came to this he had no idea what to do.

Well, he had one idea. One cliche, illogical, sure-to-fail idea. He could attend both parties. At the same time.

* * *

After school, Makoto made his way over to the shopping centre alongside an ecstatic Sonia Nevermind, who was practically dragging the luckster by his arm to the nearest fancy-dress store.

Gundham had given the store his seal of approval, due to the large amounts of 'dark jewelry' and 'clothes fit for denizens of the underworld'.

Being mindful that she was in public, Sonia saw the shopping trip as a good excuse for some one-on-one time with Makoto. She shifted, wrapping her arms around one of Makoto's.

"S-Sonia!? We're in public, you can't!" Sonia could have sworn she noticed Makoto's ahoge pointing upwards in shock. She giggled lightly, drawing herself even closer into Makoto.

Makoto sped up his walking to hide his face. Once he had spotted the costume store, he took the opportunity to unhook himself from Sonia's grip, earning a pout from the princess.

Looking over the row upon row of costumes, Makoto felt slightly overwhelmed. Though he would only be wearing it for one evening, the amount of choices on display made it difficult for him to make any sort of decision.

He perused a few racks, seeing the basic zombie, vampire and skeleton costumes, but nothing so far that he thought would suit him.

"Ahahaha! Look at this one! I'm gonna try it next!" Makoto froze. For a second there he could have sworn that he heard one of his classmates nearby. He wished that it was someone who sounded similar, but knowing his luck, it would be who he hoped it wasn't.

He turned his head to see that his fears were well founded - Aoi Asahina and Sakura Oogami were browsing through the store's selection, with Aoi trying on a multitude of costumes, while Sakura watched on stoically with a content smile.

'We've got to hide - if they see us, knowing Aoi, everyone in the school will think we're together within a day.' Makoto knew his friend was unable to control the rate at which she gossiped. Put her in the same room with Sayaka and no-one was safe.

Makoto also knew that if any of the other girls thought he was in a relationship...he shuddered to continue the line of thinking.

He quickly grabbed Sonia by the wrist, leading her to the closest changing room, where he peeked out behind the curtain to check if his classmates were still nearby.

"Makoto! How bold of you! Leading a young girl like myself to such a place. My heart is not yet prepared, but..." Sonia looked embarrassed, but this went unnoticed by Makoto.

"Shh, they might hear us!" Aoi and Sakura were still walking around the store - coming dangerously close to the changing rooms once or twice.

"Oh, yes, I suppose I must try to quiet myself lest anyone hears..."

Makoto paused.

"I feel like we're having two different conversations here."

"Hm?" Sonia tilted her head. "What is it that you are referring to?"

"I'm taking about my classmates outside. If they see us they might get the wrong idea."

"Oh. I see."

"What did you thing I was talking about?" Sonia's eyes widened upon being asked such a question.

"Um...I...it doesn't matter." She clearly tried to brush off the subject.

"Sonia? Is something wrong?"

"N-nothing is wrong Makoto, not in the slightest. Haha." Makoto gave Sonia a look that suggested he didn't buy it, but chose to drop the potentially uncomfortable subject.

A few minutes passed by, and Aoi and Sakura made their purchases and left the store, earning a sigh of relief from Makoto.

He came out from his hiding place, once again resuming to find a suitable costume for the evening's events, a flustered Sonia following behind him.

* * *

The 78th class' party was located in their usual classroom, with the tables and chairs removed to make it seem more spacious. The walls were adorned with fake webs, plastic bats and a various assortment of Halloween themed stickers. It gave off the feel of an average Halloween party.

After observing the decor, Makoto scanned the room, taking in note of his classmates and their costumes for the event.

Aoi had dressed as a pirate - a hat adorning her head, alongside a fake sword in its sheath, and an eyepatch to boot. It made sense to Makoto, seeing as her talent had to do with the water.

Ever present by Aoi's side was Sakura, who had been convinced by Aoi to dress as a nurse - a costume that Aoi had found cute. Upon seeing her, Hagakure recoiled in horror, making a break for the doors.

Hifumi was dressed as a rather odd-looking character from one of his shows. No-one had asked which character in particular.

Mondo was dressed as a biker, except he had fake blood and scars all over him, alongside torn clothing. Makoto figured that he was using one of his old outfits that had been scuffed up during a bout with a rival gang.

Chihiro was dressed as a fairy or pixie, making it look a bit odd when standing next to Mondo.

Ishimaru had slicked back his black hair, using makeup to make his face white, as well as adding blood streaks going down his mouth. He made a very convincing Dracula - and he was certainly playing the part.

Junko was clearly dressed as a succubus - drawing the attention of Leon and Hagakure mostly, both of whom were practically drooling.

Next to Junko, as always, was Mukuro, who's costume was picked out for her by Junko. It was just a monster mask, Junko saying that it was less scary than her normal face.

Togami was in his usual suit. When someone had asked him what he was dressed as, he removed his cufflinks and said he was a 'savage'.

Celeste had taken a similar approach to Byakuya, wearing her usual lolita clothing, except changing the colour of her tie from red to blue.

Leon had dressed as the kind of 'punk rocker' that he commonly referred to himself as, but zombified. Everyone just thought that he was using Halloween as an excuse to dress like a 'rockstar' (and they weren't far off).

Standing next to the baseball player was everyone's favourite clairvoyant Hagakure. He was trying to get his classmates to purchase a 'spooky future reading' from him - naturally charging an absurd amount of money. He dressed as an alien - something he found truly scary, but everyone said his true costume was a scam artist.

Touko thought that dressing up was dumb, and accused everyone of making fun of how ugly she was when they asked what costume she would be wearing. Despite this, once she heard that Byakuya would be dressing up for the party, she was all for it. Her dejection was clear when she saw Byakuya's 'costume'. She herself had dressed up as a serial killer, and refused to comment when asked how she made the bloodstains in her clothes look so realistic, trying not to focus on them herself lest she pass out.

Makoto himself had settled on a wolf costume - wearing fake ears and large gloves in the style of a wolf. He also wore a black and orange striped shirt, and torn black jeans with patches in places to give off a 'destroyed' feel to the whole ensemble.

He made sure to mingle as much as possible, taking pictures and getting into chats with almost everyone in order to have his presence at the party known. By doing this, even if he were to step out for a bit, everyone would clearly remember the time Makoto spent at the party.

"Hey Makoto! Chihiro wants a group photo with us four!" Mondo called Makoto over who had just finished a conversation with Leon and Hagakure, with Leon complaining about Hagakure's prices, much to Makoto's amusement.

"Ah, coming!" Makoto ran over, continuing his plan to take as many photos as possible. If they were looked over after the party, it would look like Makoto was there for the entire time. Or so he thought it would appear.

After around fifteen minutes, Makoto devised his escape plan. He put his hand in his pocket, pressing 'play' so that his ringtone would sound out. To everyone nearby, it seemed as if someone was calling him. Makoto removed the phone, placing it to his ear and waiting as if someone was on the other side of the call.

"Huh? You need to talk to me right now? Okay mom I'll go outside so we can talk in private." Makoto put his hand over his phone, feigning to cover the speaker so he could address his friends.

"I have to go take this call - it sounds important. I'll be five minutes." Makoto mentally slapped himself for using such an excuse, but it worked nonetheless.

"Hurry back soon Makoto!" Ishimaru saluted, the other students offering phrases of similar intent.

Makoto left the hall, still pretending to be on the phone. Once he was outside, he pocketed it, looking up at the sky and sighing.

"This is so cliche..." Makoto lightly hit is head on a nearby wall in frustration, as he collected himself, and continued towards the second party he would be attending that evening.

* * *

The decor of the 77th class was a lot more full on. It had seemed that Gundham had brought in some decorations of his own (perfectly suited for a 'spooky' atmosphere) and arranged them around the room.

The main difference to the 78th class' party was the copious amounts of food, taking up a large majority of the room. No doubt the spread was mainly for Akane, who would likely consume the entire contents of one of the tables (and perhaps the table itself) in its entirety.

Nagito's usual green coat was replaced with a green cape, with an ascot adorning his suit. He was also a vampire, except he was putting more of a twist on the usual vampire look that Ishimru had chosen.

Chiaki was clearly dressed as a character from a game Makoto recognised. Castle-something or other. He couldn't remember it's actual name.

Souda was wrapped all over in bandages - clearly a mummy. His usual yellow tracksuit had fake blood all over it.

Sonia was dressed as her favourite serial killer, wearing the outfit she had picked with Makoto earlier that day. She has a bloody hockey mask on, with a trench coat, and a chainsaw that Souda was all to willing to lend.

Mikan was of course, a nurse. Hiyoko berated her for wearing such an 'easy' costume, seeing as she had access to nurses clothes. Hiyoko was dressed as a spirit of a woman who was wearing a kimono, or at least that was what she said. She just wanted to bust out her white kimono for the occasion.

Ibuki had died her hair orange and green instead of blue and pink for the party, wearing clothes with a pumpkin motif.

Mahiru was dressed as a rather plain-looking ghoul, taking pictures of the party and everyone's costumes.

Teruteru went as a demonic chef, but everyone agreed when Hiyoko said that he was always dressed up as a pervert.

Fuyuhiko's reluctance to dress up ended when he heard Makoto would be, similarly to Aoi dressing as a pirate with an eyepatch over one eye. Next to him, Peko was the grim reaper - which considering her occupation, fitted her well.

Gundham was dressed as some horrifying demon that he had most likely made up himself. Makoto awarded him ten points for creativity.

It was unanimous that the best costume went to Nekomaru as Frankenstein's monster. The usual bolts of blue lightening that somehow came from Nekomaru's eyes added a new layer to the costume, making it seem as if lightning was coursing through the monster's veins.

Again, Makoto had Mahiru take a myriad of pictures of himself alongside the rest of the class. He made his way around the whole room, talking with Chiaki about games briefly, playing along with Gundham's delusions and listening to Sonia's rants about her top ten favourite horror movies (with the more gory details making Makoto feel squeamish).

* * *

"Hey guys I'm back!" Makoto strolled into his classroom where all of his friends were waiting for him, after excusing himself from the 77th class' party for the first time.

"Ah, just in time Makoto! The donut eating contest is about to start! C'mon, join in!" Aoi ran up to her friend - clearly ecstatic about the prospect of eating donuts.

"Haha I think I'll pass thanks. But good luck though!" Makoto put his hands up in resignation, before scanning the room for his detective friend. He spotted her leaning slightly against a nearby wall - red cup in her hand. She was dressed up as a witch - a pointed hat adorning her head alongside black robes. She didn't look to be having much fun - Makoto knew he would have to try to entertain her somehow.

He began towards Kyouko, like usual not paying very close attention to his surroundings. He almost bumped into Sayaka, who was dressed as a zombie bride - a torn dress and skilfully applied makeup making up her costume. Makoto had managed to stop himself before they collided, taking a step back reflexively.

"Oh." She noticed him.

"Ah...um..." Makoto was at a loss.

"My bad..." An awkward silence where neither student knew what to say ensued. They simply stood there for a few moments, beginning sentences but stopping them half way.

"My my what's going on here?" Junko pushed herself into the 'conversation', slinging her arm around Makoto. Sayaka took note of this, her eye twitching.

"I was just leaving." Sayaka sent a glare in the way of the fashionista before walking over to Leon.

Junko poked Makoto's cheek. "Wow what's that bitch's problem. Looked like she was pissed at me for a moment there."

Makoto pushed her off of him. "No idea. I can see why someone wouldn't like it when you're around though."

Junko whistled mockingly. "Fiesty Makoto. I like it. But you might want to do something about it quick, else she might fall into despair." She gave a laugh after she finished speaking, Makoto wishing she would just leave.

"Noted." He responded dryly, taking it upon himself to walk away, considering that Junko was clearly intent on pestering him.

"Hey Kirigiri!" Makoto waved as he made his way over to his bored-looking friend. Upon hearing his voice, Kyouko turned her head, smiling a little when he entered her line of sight.

"You're late. You said you would be five minutes. It's been fifteen." Kyouko was simply teasing Makoto - knowing she would be able to get some sort of flustered reaction out of him.

Makoto waved his arms in defence.

"I'm sorry Kirigiri, you see the thing is, I got...caught up..." He refused to lie to his friend, so he phrased the truth in a way that wouldn't rouse much suspicion. Or so he thought, forgetting that it was the Super High School Level Detective he was conversing with. She raised an eye brow, as if saying 'oh, really?' Makoto refused to make eye-contact. He would give away the fact that he was hiding something in seconds. Kyouko did often tell the luckster that he was like an open book.

"Well, never mind. What matters is that you're here now." Kyouko pretended to drop the subject, but she made a mental note to investigate the matter further later on.

Makoto smiled at Kyouko.

The two talked about the same things they usually did. Kyouko told Makoto about a few amateur cases she had taken on, while Makoto told her about all the misfortune he had faced recently, his optimism in spite of his terrible luck making the girl smile a little. It was his optimism that drew her towards him, and the boy never failed to amaze her, keeping heart in spite of the sometimes terrible things he faced.

"I can keep going even after all those things because of my friends like you." Makoto felt that this statement was a normal one coming from him - despite sounding a little cheesy, it was genuine.

What he didn't notice however was the subtle tint of red that Kyouko's cheeks took for a moment. "I see." Was all she said as she attempted to cover her blush with her gloves.

Time went on, and Makoto knew he had to get back to the other party soon. He offhandedly claimed to be in need of a bathroom break, Kyouko pretending to buy his excuse. Once he had left, she took her phone out from her pocket, putting a plan of hers in motion.

* * *

Makoto had spent the next ten minutes in the 77th class' party. Within this time, Nekomaru had bellowed about the importance of training to Makoto, while Akane kept trying to shove all different varieties of food in his face as she stuffed her own.

"Aww looks like we ran out of snacks..." Souda tossed aside the now empty bowl in annoyance. Akane had done a real number on the snack tables.

Makoto shot up.

"I'll go get some more!" He had said that a bit louder than he had expected to.

"No it's really okay, we can-" before Souda could continue, Makoto interjected.

"Oh it's fine, I insist!" Makoto was trying not to seem too assertive on the matter, but this was the perfect excuse that he needed to remove himself from the party momentarily.

"Okay then..." Souda trailed off as Makoto practically sprinted out of the room. Upon his exit, Souda turned to Ibuki, who was bouncing around in circles.

"Any idea what all that was about?" Souda's question remained unnoticed by Ibuki, as she continued to bounce and spin until she got so dizzy she had to sit down. Souda sighed at the musician's antics. Typical Ibuki.

* * *

Makoto ran down the hall as he headed over to his classroom. He chuckled at the thought of Ishimaru practically exploding if he were to bear witness of this.

"If this were a movie or a tv show, it would all end with everyone finding out what was going on." Makoto pondered this outcome, wishing to avoid it and learn from the failures from those before him. He would not let on what he was doing. He knew that everything would work out fine, as long as Kyouko didn't catch on. That was the only hitch in his plan.

After running for a few minutes, he turned a corner, and stopped himself before he entered the room. Catching his breath, he slowly opened the door so as not to draw the attention of his fellow classmates, so he could sneak in and pretend he had been back for longer than they had thought.

What was waiting for him inside was not what he expected. Makoto's classmates were all looking towards the door - arms folded alongside scolding expressions.

The music had stopped, leaving an eerie silence to fill the room. Makoto gulped.

"H-hey guys, what's going on? What happened to the music?"

Byakuya adjusted his glasses.

"Do not think us fools Makoto." He stopped and glanced at his classmates. "Well some of us aren't at least."

Kyouko took over. "What he's trying to say, but being an jerk about it like usual, is that we know what you're doing Makoto."

"What I'm doing?" The jig was up. There was no use trying to pretend anymore.

"Ah, just in time." Makoto turned around to see what Kyouko was referring to. The entirety of class 77 was standing behind Makoto, with looks consisting of disappointment, annoyance and sadness. It was clear that they too knew what had happened.

"I explained everything via text message to Chiaki Nanami. After the last incident we had agreed to swap contact info."

Makoto tried to look the students of the 77th class in the eyes, but found it difficult.

"Guys listen, I-"

"Makoto, why didn't you just say anything earlier?" Sonia asked. He could hear the strain in her voice, as if she was on the verge of tears.

"I didn't mean to hurt anyone - I wanted everyone to be happy, but I can't be in two places at once, and I..." He didn't finish the thought. He hung his head in shame, prepared for the incoming barrage of insults.

"No shit dumbass. You could've just told us all you know? Or did you forget we're all cool now?" Fuyuhiko narrowed his eyes slightly.

"I am so sorry to have made you put yourself in such a position Makoto! I am clearly not suited to be a queen." A few tears formed in Sonia's eyes, Souda offering her his handkerchief which made her sob more.

Makoto waved his hands in a flurry.

"No Sonia it's fine, really, I just didn't want to disappoint anyone, and I didn't really think, huh?" The realisation that all of his worries could've been avoided hit Makoto like a truck - and he'd been hit by a truck before. It hurt like a mother-trucker.

"I'm a little disappointed that you didn't trust us all after what happened, you know? We all took your words to heart Makoto. Of course, not everything will change right away, but our class and your class are trying to bury the hatchet."

Mahiru echoed the sentiments of the rest of the students. It was true, Makoto hadn't put the amount of faith in his friends that they deserved. He had let them down. He had to fix things - and he thought he knew the perfect way to patch everything up.

"I know, and I'm so sorry - all of you. I should have had more faith in my friends. I won't make that same mistake again, so..."

"I have an idea guys." Everyone leaned in slightly in anticipation to what Makoto would say next.

He cleared his throat before looking up at his friends.

"To make it up to you, I'll let you all chose any one thing I can help you with. No matter what it is, you name it. If I can be there for you guys like you're always there for me, I'll be happy." Makoto followed up his declaration with a warm smile.

"A-anything...?" Toko bit the nail of her thumb.

Makoto nodded in affirmation. "Yep, anything you want."

Chiaki tugged on Makoto's sleeve with clear worry on her face.

"Makoto, I don't think you should-"

"HELL YEAH!" Nekomaru's shout drowned out Chiaki's words. This prompted all of the students to turn to one another in excitement, discussing how they would use the opportunity.

"I'm gonna have Makoto eat one of my 'special' dishes." Teruteru didn't do a good job of covering the drool forming at the edge of his mouth.

"I'm gonna get Makoto to go through rigorous TRAINING with me!" The blue bolts of lightening around Nekomaru's eyes flash with increasing intensity as he shouted.

"Hell yeah! Makoto and I are gonna go on that motorcycle ride after all!" Mondo's previous request had been denied by a fearful Makoto - not wanting to be shot at by a rival gang while riding up front with the leader (who tended to get shot at the most).

"What have I got myself into?" Makoto looked completely dejected - a complete dichotomy to the excitement of the other students.

Kyouko gave a firm look to the luckster. "You chose this, now you have to face the repercussions."

She paused, fidgeting a little.

"I'm looking forward to our time together." Brushing her hair behind her ear, she turned away from Makoto, heading back over to her corner she had spent most of the night at.

"Soooo..." Souda whistled. "What now?" Everyone thought for a moment. They had been so caught up with their excitement they had forgotten that the problem Makoto was facing had yet to be resolved.

"Oooohhh! Oooohhh!" Ibuki waved her arms around in an attempt to garner her friends' attentions.

"Why don't we just combine the parties?" A simple enough idea. So simple that most of the students wondered why they didn't think of it in the first place.

"But we need more food!" Akane voiced her concern - this was a matter of life and death for her.

Teruteru gave a thumbs up. "I'm on it! I'll make more food than you can shake a stick at!" His southern accent accidentally slipped for a moment, causing Teruteru to splutter.

Leon had ran over to one of the tables to resume the music and the lights, re-creating the previous atmosphere.

Makoto still feared what was to come after promising such a feat. Chiaki grasping Makoto's hand and squeezing it slightly made him forget his worries for a while.

"C'mon Makoto, let's go dance with everyone." Chiaki smiled up to the luckster as she pulled him over to the centre of the room.

Chiaki was fine due to her copious amounts of playing prance-prance revolution, teaching her all the moves she needed to know. Makoto on the other-hand, had no idea how to dance, his attempts causing the gamer to giggle. Makoto couldn't help but laugh too, and continued to laugh alongside his friends for the rest of the evening.

On the other side of the room, Mukuro approached her sister carefully, who had a menacing smile plastered over her face.

"S-sister?" Mukuro's voice trembled slightly. She was up to something - that much was clear.

"Anything we want, huh?" Junko pondered.

"Upupu...Upupupupupupupu..."

* * *

 **Thanks a lot for letting me know that this chapter ended pretty badly you guys - it opened my eyes and I've come to rectify my mistake! I tweaked the ending to make it so the progression of the story wasn't undermined, and you can thank Arcawolf for that. He gave some great pointers for how the chapter should've ended, and they honestly made so much more sense than what I had came up with. So, I'm sorry for failing you all, my loyal readers. However, this just means that I'm gonna try even harder now on to make sure my story has quality. See you in the next chapter. Peace out!**


	12. Chapter 12

**We hit 36,000 views guys! Thanks a ton!**

 **First off, I want to thank the anon who reviewed about guest reviews, as well as wesst1, Putain-de-Plagieur, and s0ul. Thanks for the support and I'll take what you guys said into consideration for sure. You guys are the kind of people I write for, and I don't appreciate spam reviews and offensive reviews. Sorry for all the guests who leave genuine reviews and don't leave offensive comments on a chapter.**

 **I want to make it abundantly clear that I will not be discontinuing this story, and said I would as simply trying any means in order to get a certain reviewer from bothering me and getting me down. I'm annoyed at myself to say with all the stress with exams and such, I allowed these comments to have a negative effect on me, when all they are is comments.**

 **With Christmas, (which I'm sure all of you understand how busy this time can be with last minute shopping...haha...) and mocks having begun, I've been putting this story off. I shouldn't have, and I apologise. There are priorities in life, but that's no excuse in this case, as I should have tried to find a balance.**

 **I've also been putting a little of my time toward writing my own original story just for fun. I'm not sure if I'd ever upload it (or where I'd even upload it) but if anyone's bored or wants to read something new written by yours truly, I'd always appreciate a beta reader or even some critiques when I'm ready to show it to people - but it probably won't be for a while yet.**

 **As for this story, I've got a chapter about Fuyuhiko in the works, but it's not close to being done yet, I've just got the general outline of how the chapter is going to go.**

 **And merry belated Christmas! Hope you guys all had a good one. Let's make this another good year!**

 **With all that out** **of** **the way, lets begin the chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

The Unlucky Luckster and the 77th Class - Chapter 12

BEEP BEEP BE- smack.

Makoto groaned as his hand rested lazily on top of his alarm clock. It wasn't a particularly graceful wake up call, but it did the job more or less.

Usually Makoto would go to bed early in preparation for the next day - he wasn't the kind of person who would stay up past his scheduled bed time, (unless someone forced their way into his room like a certain ultimate had) but today he was absolutely exhausted.

Heading to his bathroom (the faulty door becoming muscle memory for him now, opening it with ease) Makoto stood in front of the mirror to look back at his exhausted self for a few moments. Black bags stained his eyes, a clear signal of sleep deprivation.

Makoto sighed.

'That dream - or nightmare to be more exact, really did a number on me, huh?'

Makoto rubbed his eyes slightly in a feeble attempt to feel more awake. When that didn't yield any results, he splashed some water onto his face.

Deciding that cold water was proving helpful in assisting him to wake up, Makoto took his morning shower, trying not to nod off while standing up.

As he washed his hair (its usual shape still remaining no matter how much water it was doused with) he reflected on what had caused him so much trouble the night before.

It appeared to Makoto that Junko's words had a profound effect on him - her sentiments echoing in his ears even now. He had dreamt about a world devoid of hope - the world Junko Enoshima sought to create. It was dark, devoid of happiness or kindness, rife with pain and suffering.

Makoto questioned whether or not it would even be possible to ravage the world in such a way - to reduce it to the state he saw so vividly in his nightmare. He shook his head. He refused to believe it.

"This is just one of Junko's mind games. I won't let her get to me." Makoto clenched his fist to indicate his resolve. Glancing back over to his alarm clock, he could see that it was around about time for breakfast - the average daily ritual in which Makoto could barely get a mouth full of food without being bombarded with conversations and questions from his peers.

Not that he hated that, in fact now that the two classes were getting along better than ever, Makoto finally began to actually look forward to eating breakfast with everyone.

Being the weekend, Makoto donned his green hoodie, leaving the dorms to head over to the cafeteria. When he arrived, he peered inside to see most of his friends waiting for him at their usual table. Smiling at the sight, Makoto entered, waving over to them.

It was when Makoto got closer to the table that their expressions changed. Smiles turned to glares at each student narrowed their eyes at one-another. Silence filled the air for a moment. And then...

"Makotooooo! Come sit next to meeeee!"

"No, Makoto, over here!"

"On the honour of the esteemed Togami name, I invite you to take your place next to me."

"What!? You're nothing but an imposter! Makoto, sit here. Now."

"Dude, ignore those guys, I've got a free seat right next to me!"

"That's because you stink of oil and no-one wants to sit near you."

"H-hey! That's not true, is it Miss Sonia?"

"Hmm? Did you say something? I can't hear you from over here."

"Not you too!"

So it once again came to this. Makoto had a look of defeat on his face as he quietly took a seat next to Kyouko on the far side of the table.

"Good morning Kirigiri."

The detective nodded in acknowledgement of her friend's presence.

"And to you to Makoto."

Makoto placed his breakfast in-front of him, not feeling particularly hungry. He sighed, slowly and listlessly bringing his spoon to his mouth.

"Makoto...are you alright?" To his side, Kyouko examined the luckster's face. There was a hint of concern mixed in with her usual steely demeanour.

It was then that Makoto realised how he must look to everyone else, quickly flashing a reassuring smile.

"Ah, I'm fine thanks Kirigiri - just a little tired."

The detective ended her questioning, yet her detective's intuition told her that there was something else bothering Makoto - an underlying reason.

As he ate, Makoto couldn't shake a feeling of unease. It was like someone was watching him intently from somewhere, but he couldn't ascertain exactly where from. Of course, Makoto was no stranger to being watched - it was a daily occurrence he came to accept. But he couldn't shake the feeling no matter how hard he tried to ignore it.

For the next few hours, the day passed by as 'normal' as a day in a school with eccentric and crazy people could. Makoto tried to focus on his lessons, to no avail. His mind kept replaying the horrific scene from the night before in his mind.

"Such a thing...it's impossible." Makoto whispered, in attempt to reassure himself that there was not a single chance such a world could come to be.

He couldn't let this get to him. To let Junko's subtle influences get to him. He wouldn't. His hope was stronger than any despair she tried to inflict on him.

Despite this, the thought still bothered Makoto. When it came to lunch time, Makoto barely ate. He wasn't a big eater by any means, but it was obvious to anyone who looked at his plate that something wasn't right with the luckster.

"Oi Makoto - you've barely eaten anythin'. You okay?" Akane shot Makoto a look of concern to her friend - always being the first one to notice anything to do with food. This drew the attention of the rest of the students around the table, all eyes focused on Makoto.

Makoto averted his gaze to the floor.

"Ahaha...guess I'm not all that hungry today guys. Don't worry about me." Makoto didn't want to worry his friends - especially over something that was purely hypothetical, and completely unrealistic.

He felt a hand lightly place itself on his arm.

"Makoto, if anything is troubling you, you can talk to us." Kyouko, as astute as ever, smiled slightly at her friend. It was only small, but the gesture never failed to not cheer Makoto up.

'That's right...I have friends here for me. As long as we're all together, there's no way despair will win out over hope!'

Makoto shook his head.

"It's really nothing. I know there's nothing to worry about anymore." Any further queries his friends had were shut down by his first genuine smile of the day.

* * *

A certain musician skipped around the school. There was many times in which Ishimaru attempted to reprimand her for such an act, but she would always reply with 'but it's not running', rendering completely powerless.

She was looking for someone - or more accurately something. A soft spike of chestnut coloured hair. Such a distinctive trait was always the first thing she noticed when she saw Makoto - believing that his ahoge could even rival her horns in terms of distinction.

Upon noticing the luckster, the musician bounded over to him with a speed that he would've expected from Akane if you told her there's meat or Teruteru if you told him you had rope and a pair of hand-cuffs.

"Makotoooooooo! I know what I'd your help with!" The girl had a wide smile as she bounced on her heels.

"Hm? Okay Mioda, go for it." Makoto braced himself. On the outside, he appeared completely calm, but on the inside he was anticipating some mad request from the musician.

Something along the lines of running around the school a hundred times, kicking Nekomaru in the shins, or stealing Akane's food and seeing how long he could out-run her for until he gets caught (he still shudders when he remembers the last time).

"Welllllll...Ibuki wants Makoto to form a band with her!" Ibuki laughed as she swayed from side to side.

In contrast to the musicians care-free attitude, Makoto was taken aback.

"But I don't play any instruments..." Makoto had never played an instrument, save for a few times in middle school, and rarely with his classmates in music class. He was completely inexperienced - the triangle being his instrument of choice when being forced to participate.

"It's fine, it's fine! Ibuki will teach you!" Ibuki grabbed Makoto by the wrist and led him to the Hope's Peak Academy music room.

Despite having come to the music room in the past, Makoto was still astounded by the sheer variety of instruments that adorned it. There were many Instruments that Makoto had never seen before, and some that he couldn't even fathom how one would even attempt to play.

Not having a musical background, Makoto was still intrigued nonetheless. The world of musicians was something he never would have expected him to enter, and his knowledge of the music industry stretched as far as what Sayaka had told him on a few occasions. It didn't sound all sunshine and rainbows like one might think.

Ibuki ran over to the music room cupboard - withdrawing a sleek red guitar. She gave it a few test strums with a pick she pulled out from seemingly thin-air. Satisfied, she handed the instrument to Makoto, who examined it in awe.

"Ibuki will teach you how to play different notes first. I'm sure Makoto will get the hang of it real fast!" She threw out a thumbs up that stopped inches away from Makoto's nose, causing him to stumble back slightly.

"Ehehe...I'm not so sure about that..." Makoto scratched his cheek in nervousness. It was the first time he had ever held a guitar, and he could notice the complexity of the instrument (compared to his favoured triangle) as clear as day.

Ibuki swung left to right as she explained the basics to Makoto. She demonstrated notes first, and then when she was sure that Makoto understood them, moved on to some simple chords.

Despite his concerns, Makoto was able to pick up the basics fairly easily. He attributed this to Ibuki's teaching - which was surprisingly focused and very informative. She clearly had a deep respect and passion for music which Makoto hadn't noticed as much before.

The lesson continued, with Ibuki demonstrating and Makoto attempting to replicate her actions. Having been practicing for a solid hour, Makoto decided he needed a drink - the lesson tiring him out more than he expected it to. He placed the guitar strap around his neck, and stepped forward to the shelf in which his drink was located. A second later, he felt as if his perspective was shifting - almost as if he was leaning forward toward the ground.

Makoto slipped, knocking into Ibuki, her guitar pick flying out of her hand. If a normal person had bumped into Ibuki, the pick would have hit the ground and that would be that. Yet, Makoto's curse of bad luck affected the things around him, causing Ibuki's guitar pick to hit the ground at such a perfectly specific angle, that it fell through the smallest gap that was present in the floorboards.

"Wha..." Makoto stared at the gap, positively aghast.

"Ibuki...I'm...I'm so so sorry!" He fell to his knees as he continued his profuse apologies.

"Hmm, Ibuki needs some new strings too, so don't worry about it!" She waved her hand dismissively. Makoto wouldn't accept this though.

"But still, I can't just pretend it didn't happen. Let's go buy a new one - I'll pay, of course." Makoto felt awful about the accident - despite having no ill intentions.

"A present from Makoto!?" Ibuki suddenly began to violently foam at the mouth - her eyes rolling back. Makoto screamed her name in terror, reaching for his phone to dial for an ambulance as fast as he could.

"I'm...I'm okay. Ibuki was just suuuper surprised!" She reaffirmingly placed a comforting hand on Makoto's shoulder as she began to stand up.

"Oh. Okay? Well, shall we go then?" Makoto was still wary of Ibuki's state, but strangeness was always abound when Ibuki was around.

* * *

The two perused a few music stores that Ibuki was in the know of, taking much longer than expected because of Ibuki insisting on trying many of the expensive looking guitars, which Makoto made sure to stay well away from.

After they had bought what they came for, Ibuki offered to buy the two some drinks from a nearby vending machine, and they sat on a bench to talk.

"I want to tell you about something Makoto." The luckster was completely attentive, ushering her to continue with a 'go on'.

Ibuki had a solemn look on her face, as she tightly grasped her drink.

"Ibuki used to be in a band, but...we broke up." The light that was usually present in the musician's eyes had been clouded over. It was clear to Makoto that she was reliving some painful memories.

"We were called Black Cherry - we were totally awesome! We always had so much fun playing together!" Ibuki's excitement gave way to a somber expression momentarily.

"What happened?" Makoto wasn't sure if it was his place to ask, but felt like this was something Ibuki wanted him to hear. He realised it must be important to her, as well as a sensitive subject.

"We broke up." Makoto's eyes widened. The Super High School Level Musician not being in a band was strange to him, but now he knew the reasoning behind it.

"Huh? Why?"

"It was...creative differences. They wanted to play music that appealed to everyone, but Ibuki..."

"Ibuki wanted to play the music she wanted to play."

Makoto's mind flashed back to all the times he had heard Ibuki perform. Her music was...unique for sure. He could understand why a pop group would have problems playing music like that - so a split was inevitable.

"I miss them. Sometimes I wonder if Ibuki was being selfish and if she should've kept performing with her friends..." Ibuki rose her knees to her chest and buried her face in them.

"Hey, Ibuki." The girl's attention shifted to Makoto as she rose her head slightly.

"I don't think making that decision was wrong of you. I'm not a musician, so I don't have any place to say this, but wouldn't your fans be more happy seeing you play what you wanted? At least the real fans would be."

"Even without your band, you still shine brightly Ibuki. You always put so much effort and energy into everything you do. It's amazing to someone as plain and average as me, so there's no need to second-guess yourself. You just keep doing what makes you happy, and I'll be happy too. Okay?" He smiled at his friend, calm and sincere.

"Makoto..." Ibuki looked stunned to hear these words from Makoto. He always had a way with words - a way to clear any doubts, worries or fears anyone had away, leaving them with a feeling of hope and warmth.

After a short silence, Ibuki spoke up.

"You know Makoto, I believe there are more important things in this world than a temporary physical relationship. I want something more..."

"Like, being band-mates?" Makoto looked at his friend earnestly. He had never seen her act in such a way - usually bouncing around or shouting about something or other. Ibuki's eyes widened for a second, before she closed them, smiling.

"Ahahaha! You got it Makoto!" She quickly returned to her usual cheery self, but Makoto knew that he had temporarily seen Ibuki's true feelings.

"Maybe I could be your band-mate..." Makoto spoke contemplatively. His words were whispered - said without the intention of Ibuki hearing him.

"Hmm...maybe you can!" Ibuki's reaction startled Makoto, whose face turned red as he spluttered.

"W-wait, you heard that!?"

Ibuki chuckled.

"Of course! I have really good hearing! It's like a superpower!" She proudly put her hands on her hips, puffing her chest out.

"But, if you wanna be my band-mate, you gotta know how to sew! Else you can't make super cool costumes to wear on stage!"

Makoto nodded in understanding, as Ibuki continued.

"Practising is also key, but it can also be really fun too! It feels really good when you improve after all the hard work you put in!"

Makoto couldn't even begin to fathom the amount of hours Ibuki must have put into practicing playing the guitar, as well as singing. It likely lessened after she left her band, but she no doubt still devoted much of her time to honing her craft.

"You really are an ultimate..." There was a newfound respect for Ibuki taking root in Makoto. To love and enjoy something so much was admirable to Makoto, her hope clear.

Ibuki poked Makoto on the nose with a smile.

"Thanks for today Makoto." She gave a genuine smile that radiated a feeling of complete ease.

"Don't mention it." He replied in an uncharacteristic manner, sounding flippant.

"Ohoho...Makoto, could it be that you're trying to act all cool and aloof in front of Ibuki?" A sly smirk made its way to Ibuki's face - something that was always there when she chose to tease someone.

"W-what? Why would I do that!?" Makoto blushed. The way Ibuki said such things spontaneously, without any warning always caught Makoto off-guard.

"It's going to take more than that to sweep this girl off her feet."

It was now Makoto's turn to tease Ibuki.

"If I recall correctly, I did sweep you off your feet that one time at the hotel we all stayed at..."

"You totally fell on me!"

The two shared a laugh, all tension that remained from their previous conversation completely lifted, replaced with a serene and calm atmosphere.

* * *

That night, Makoto slept soundly. He was pleased to awake the next morning with knowledge that Junko Enoshima no longer plagued his mind. This however, did not mean that he would let his guard down. On the contrary - he endeavoured to be even more vigilant with keeping an eye on his classmate in order to maintain the peace and hope of all of his fellow friends.

After preparing for the day, Makoto left his dorm room with time to spare. He was in a good mood, and whistled a tune to himself as he closed his dorm room behind him.

A pair of arms pinned Makoto to the hallway wall.

"Guh!" The force his assailant employed was clearly intending to hurt him. He looked up, his widened eyes meeting those of Junko Enoshima's - blue, but not reminiscent of calm waters. They reminded Makoto more of a raging ocean, consuming all who dared find themselves in its grasp.

"Heya Makoto." She breathed down on him, her strong grip still in place.

"Do you have to pin me up to the wall every time you threaten me?" Makoto refused to let himself be afraid of Junko Enoshima. To fear her would be like admitting defeat to her and her despair.

"Of course! That's like, our 'thing' Makoto. Isn't it great we have a 'thing'? We're such good friends!" The sarcasm was practically dripping from Junko's wide grin.

He refused to dignify her words with a response, so continued to give her an adamant and defying look.

"Lately I've been thinking of tons and tons of ways to make you despair! Isn't that wonderful?"

Again, he did not answer.

Junko pouted due to his lack of response. She wanted nothing more than to mess with him before she drove him to despair, like a lion toying with its prey.

"Aww. You're no fun. Anyway, looks like we're right on time."

"Huh?" Junko's vague statement left Makoto with questions as well as a sinking feeling in his chest.

Sayaka Maizono was preparing to head out for the day. Each day, she always left her dorm room at 7:30 to head to the cafeteria for breakfast. She finished applying her makeup, slipping her shoes on and preparing to head out.

Her door clicked open, the sound signifying the start of Junko's plan.

Junko removed her arms from Makoto, allowing him to fall to the ground. She then grabbed him by the collar, dragging him upward to meet her face.

A fake look of joy was plastered on the fashionista's face. Makoto knew that she was an expert in feigning emotions - and one would only be able to notice if they were wise to her cruel and manipulative attitude.

"I'm sooo glad we're going out Makoto - I was really surprised when you said you didn't care about Maizono at all. I thought you liked her."

Junko's smile turned frightening. Her despair-filled eyes bored down on the helpless Makoto.

"But it turns out you hate her."

Makoto gasped, eyes widening. He was about to protest - to scream 'you're wrong!' and refute the claim over and over.

But he couldn't.

Junko yanked Makoto toward her, crashing her face into his. Makoto felt sick as he realised what it was she was doing. The first time she had done this, Makoto was so surprised that he had failed to recognise what was going on around him.

But this time, his eyes shifted to see a horrified Sayaka Maizono. It was then that it clicked.

'On sports day, she must've...' Their eyes met, Makoto's pleading, Sayaka's welling up as her mouth was agape. She took three steps back, slowly shaking her head, as if she was trying to convince herself that what she was witnessing was not reality - that it was fake, before turning her back on the scene, and sprinting off.

Makoto managed to momentarily break away from Junko, gasping for air before he yelled out.

"Maizono!" Makoto tried to put stretch his right arm toward his friend, but Junko resumed pinning it in place.

"Hahaha...HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Junko's triumphant laugh sent shivers through Makoto. He was completely horrified at what had just transpired. His eyes were cloudy and distant.

"I figured out something was weird between you two at the Halloween party. You totally froze up when you saw her and you didn't say anything to each other."

"She saw, didn't she?" Makoto couldn't bring himself to answer her question. Instead, he clenched his eyes tight. It seemed that not only would Junko try to plague his dreams, but his reality too. Nowhere was safe.

Junko leaned in close to Makoto, her mouth positioned right next to his ear. She spoke with honest euphoria as her eyes began to swirl.

"I'm going to drive that girl into despair."

* * *

 **This took waaaaay longer than I thought it would. I started writing this chapter in November, but I changed it multiple times, had writers block, got extremely busy and it wasn't an easy process for sure. Glad I could finally get it out though - better late than never am I right?**

 **Now for the elephant in the room. And an important elephant at that:**

 **Please do not include any spoilers for V3 in your reviews - I am refraining from spoiling myself until I can play the game, as many others are. I would be very happy if everyone could be respectful, and only talk about this story instead of discussing spoilers.**

 **I know you guys aren't like that though, so I don't think I have anything to worry about.**

 **I have a few more mock exams until I'm finished for a while, so uploads should be able to arrive smoother after that. I'll see you all next time guys! Peace out!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Wow it feels like it's been forever, huh guys? Of course, I would like to preface this chapter with an apology for the infrequent updates of this story - especially for the hiatus since the last chapter some months ago now. In all honesty, I was considering dropping the story, but you loyal readers and fans of the story - especially those of you who messaged me to get my butt in gear and write, you all changed my mind. It's clear to me that some people enjoy this story very much, so as an author it's my duty to see this story to the end, don't you think? I've been working extremely hard with school projects and exam prep ever since the last chapter - and they're finally over. I'm free! And free to update. So since I've been rambling for way too long now, I'll wrap this up. Thank you to all of you out there who have read and enjoyed this story. It's because of you and your requests for more that got me to continue this, and I'm honestly glad I am. You guys are the best. So anyway, let's keep this train going! Enjoy!**

* * *

The Unlucky Luckster and the 77th Class - Chapter 13

Makoto Naegi was taking a small stroll out of the main campus of Hope's Peak academy. He hummed a tune - a clear smile adornitng his face. The reasoning for this was because of the test results Makoto received that day, for an paper he was sure he failed. He had still hoped for a passing grade however, vowing that if he performed poorly on this particular exam, he would put double the effort into the next one. His fears were washed away when he received his test paper back - the results ending in a pass. Naturally, the results themselves were completely average - especially in the face of Byakuya, Kyouko and Ishimaru.

Yet his friends had congratulated him with great excitement - those who failed such as Mondo and Leon were happy for Makoto's success in their place, and even the high achievers praised him, Kyouko giving Makoto one of her rare small smiles. A nod from Byakuya affirmed Makoto's accomplishment.

Almost nothing could destroy the chipper mood Makoto was currently in. It suddenly dawned on him that he hadn't yet informed his family of his success, his right hand reaching into his pocket for his cell phone.

"Mhm. Yeah - Komaru guess what? Today I-"

Out of nowhere, Makoto was grabbed what looked to be two men in suits. He struggled against them as they forced a bag over the luckster's head, quickly using the confused state he was in to bind his arms and legs. Makoto could hear a car door opening as he was tossed inside.

From Makoto's discarded phone, he could slightly hear the distraught cries of his sister as he tried his hardest to lean forward and out of the car, but to no avail, as a strong arm held him in place.

He was getting kidnapped again. Makoto was no stranger to the concept - he had his fair share of being a hostage - not counting the times the 77th class had abducted him for rendezvous.

No, this was another one of those real hostage situations. Makoto took a moment to consider who his would-be kidnapper was, attempting to piece together a theory as to who and why would want someone so average as him.

Maybe it was a crime syndicate that needed a hostage - and targeted hope's peak, choosing Makoto completely generically. Or maybe word had gotten out about his uncanny luck, and a mad scientist wanted to study him in order to use it as a weapon.

Or maybe Nagito was using his vast wealth again to kidnap him and bring him to one of his 'hope parties'. The last time Makoto went to one of those he had to play 'pin the tail on the Enoshima' and hit a piñata also shaped like Junko.

'Nagito must really not like Junko, huh?' Makoto pondered as the car he was riding him came to a halt. His pulse raced as he heard muffled voices and felt hands pulling him up and out of the car.

A prod at his back signed that Makoto's kidnappers wanted him to walk - but his leg bindings only allowed him to take minuscule steps. Eventually they had reached their supposed destination, as one of the kidnappers placed his hand on Makoto's shoulder causing him to stop.

One of the kidnappers knocked on the large door in front of him - a commanding voice signifying his time to enter. He went in alone - likely reporting Makoto's arrival.

Some muffled sounds from the kidnappers could be heard, followed by the voice of a clearly angry man coming from the other side of the room, it's anger intensifying as the man in question grew closer.

"You didn't fuckin' hurt him did you? Because I swear to god if you fuckers-" Fuyuhiko's shouts stopped as Makoto was brought into the room, still squirming to be released from his captor's clutches.

"Set him down and leave." Fuyuhiko's orders carried great weight with them, as the men carefully placed Makoto on the floor next to the gangster, bowing and leaving.

Fuyuhiko pulled out a switchblade from his pocket, using it to cut Makoto's bindings, before pulling the bag off of his head, revealing a shaken look.

"Fuck Makoto you look like you're gonna piss yourself. No one's gonna hurt you so chill out."

His trembling lessening, Makoto's arm was pulled up by Fuyuhiko, planting him firmly on his feet.

"Christ pull yourself together man. You want some cookies and milk or something?"

"Yeah..." Makoto sniffled.

"Eh. I was half taking the piss but sure."

Fuyuhiko flicked out his phone from his pocket and placed the order with one of his associates. It wasn't long before a servant of the Kuzuryu clan entered with a tray containing an assortment of cookies and large glass of milk.

Makoto forgot his fear almost instantly as he reached for the sugary snacks and began to chow down, Fuyuhiko watching the child-like actions with a raised eyebrow.

Finishing shortly, Fuyuhiko began to explain.

"Sorry if I freaked you out and shit, but it was the only way I could think of to get you here."

"But why go so far?" Makoto tilted his head in question.

"Well the last time I asked you freaked out so bad you ran away, so this was all I could do really." Fuyuhiko gave a nonchalant shrug. He clearly saw nothing wrong with the method he used to get Makoto here.

Makoto let out a slight awkward chuckle as he examined his surroundings. Weapons adorned the walls - Makoto thinking them decorative for a moment, before he remembered exactly where he was.

"Look I'll make it up to you. Ah fuck what is it you like again? You want sweets or something?" Fuyuhiko tapped his fingers against the small table they sat around.

"Sweets? Sure! Wow cookies and sweets - you should kidnap me more often!" Makoto joked - laughing for a minute before hoping that Fuyuhiko didn't take him seriously.

'My sister would freak out if I was snatched straight from the house one day. Wait a minute...'

Makoto suddenly remembered something important.

'My sister! I dropped my phone while I was talking to her. She must be freaking out right now.'

"Sorry Fuyuhiko, but I need to make a quick call. Can I?"

"You aren't calling the police to say you've been kidnapped are you?" Makoto wasn't sure if that was a joke or not.

"No of course not haha..." Looked like Fuyuhiko wasn't joking after all.

"There's one on the wall over there. Knock yourself out." He pointed Makoto in the right direction, while typing on his own phone.

As Makoto made his call, Fuyuhiko once again placed an order with one of his servants for Makoto's sweets.

Of course, the number's digits was blocked on Komaru's end - as we're all phones associated with the household, so that calls couldn't be traced. After explaining all this, as well as the events leading up to this situation, Komaru calmed down considerably - yet was still concerned for her elder brother's safety.

After reassuring Komaru he was fine for the tenth time, the conversation ended, and Makoto hung up the phone, returning to his seat across from Fuyuhiko to see one of the most amazing spreads of sweets in his entire life.

"Wha- wha- these are...for me?"

Fuyuhiko laughed at Makoto's reaction.

"You should know we Yakuza don't so things half-assed."

Sitting down, Makoto couldn't contain himself, (neither would any average person upon seeing something so amazing) and began tackling a mountain of cupcakes - with some doughnuts that would've made Aoi swoon.

As he ate, Makoto could've sworn he saw Fuyuhiko looking at his sweets...longingly?

'Could it be...'

"...you want to share, Fuyuhiko?"

The young Yakuza practically choked on air as he spluttered.

"Wha- fuck no! Do I look like someone who eats sweets?

'You totally do' Makoto thought inwardly - careful to keep his thought inward in case Fuyuhiko exploded.

"Haha, of course not, but I don't think I can finish these all by myself. It would be pretty manly of you help me out here."

The young Yakuza's right eye twitched in slight annoyance, before closing his eyes and crossing his arms.

"I suppose it can't be helped. I ain't gonna enjoy it cause I don't like sweet shit - but I'm manly enough to do shit I don't like. It's part of being a good leader."

Makoto wondered - was Fuyuhiko trying to convince him, or himself? Loathe to admit it, Fuyuhiko could tell that Makoto's innocent smile was encouraging him to be himself - the smile itself almost trying to breakdown and pretences between them. Though of course, Fuyuhiko had an image to maintain, so he kept the act up.

'You're a good kid Makoto' Fuyuhiko thought with a wry smile. 'Perhaps you could even be my...'

He chuckled.

'No not yet. But soon. A Yakuza needs his right-hand man after all.'

A pleasant silence enveloped the room as the two friends sat eating sweets together - one smiling with joy each time one of the treats made its way to his mouth, while the other pretended to grimace and gag while consuming his share.

The two were almost finished when a loud 'THUMP' emanated from a nearby door. The two paused, waiting, until the thump was followed up by more knocks.

"Hm? Locked?" The voice of a female came from the other side, clearly trying to pull the door open after receiving no permission to enter, slight worry in her voice.

Makoto looked toward Fuyuhiko for confirmation of what to do - was this normal? A raid? Were they safe in this room?

Fuyuhiko silenced Makoto with an index finger to his own lips, completely still - unmoving in hopes of fooling his assailant.

"Young master, please open up! I know you have Makoto in there with you!" Peko's voice could now be clearly heard from the other side of the door as she continuously banged her fists against it.

"Fuck she found us."

"Pekoyama? Um...shouldn't we just let her in?" Makoto didn't want to cause any arguments between the two, offering a solution that could please them both while avoiding conflict.

"Eh just ignore her - she'll give up eventually."

"Young master - please let me in - your safety is my top priority - I must be by your side at all times!"

"Bullshit!" Fuyuhiko called out. "You just want Makoto to yourself!"

"Th-that is not true young master! I must protect you both. Please, let me in!"

Fuyuhiko thought for a moment as a viscous idea popped into his head.

"Hey Peko - guess what I'm doing right now?" Fuyuhiko teased, a menacing grin appearing on his face.

"Y-you don't mean!?" Even through the door, Peko's shock could be heard clearly.

"I do. I'm touching Makoto's fluffy hair, and I've got it all to myself."

Makoto could hear the sound of what was most likely Peko's knees hitting the floor as she slumped to the ground in defeat. Fuyuhiko had found her weak-point and exploited it.

"Fluffy hair...?" Makoto pondered out loud. Come to think of it, he had noticed on a few occasions that Peko had stolen glances at his hair. Whenever Makoto would catch her in the act, she turned her head away so fast that Makoto wasn't even sure if she was looking in the first place.

"A-ahem." Peko cleared her throat.

"I came to report to you that your sister has arrived home from school young master." The swordswoman bowed and left to resume her guard position not far from the room.

"Damn it, now my sister's here?" Fuyuhiko sighed, an annoyed look crossing his face.

"You have a sister? I had no idea."

"Yeah she's in the reserve course." Fuyuhiko smirked before speaking next. "It seems you're pretty popular over there too."

Fuyuhiko expected Makoto to act all flustered or deny what he had said, but instead Makoto had a solemn look on his face as his eyes were focused on the ground.

"I don't get it." He began. "Why...why are people paying so much attention to me? I mean, I'm just an average guy..."

"Idiot. Of course there's a reason why we all pay so much attention to you. It's because you're you - got that!? If you forget that again I'll kill you!" Despite the threat, Makoto could tell that Fuyuhiko held no malice toward him. Over time, he had understood that Fuyuhiko often hid behind his true intentions and feelings through his threats. They were usually empty though.

Except for that one time with the gun and the piñata. That was one birthday Souda wouldn't forget soon.

Makoto was taken aback, but smiled. He still didn't really understand - but he could tell that his friends clearly care for him very much - whatever the reason they like him for is.

Fuyuhiko met Makoto's smile with a small triumphant smile of his own, before changing the subject.

"Oi Makoto - about those tickets." The blonde began.

The tickets? Makoto had completely forgot about those .

"I had an idea as to what I was gonna use my ticket for, but I decided against it. Some things gotta be natural, you get me?"

Makoto didn't really know what he was talking about, but nonetheless replied with a nod.

"Plus, shit's dangerous. You need to watch your back with this stuff. Letting anyone use this to have you do any one thing - you even know Hanamura? Who knows what kind of messed up stuff goes on in that fucker's head."

Despite the brashness of the statement, Makoto knew he meant well. It had occurred to him that he might've been a bit over his head coming up with such an idea.

"Hmm..." A blonde girl with facial features similar to Fuyuhiko hummed from across the room. How long she was there for, neither of the two boys knew.

"Oi Natsumi - how long have you been there for?" The young heir spoke, with an annoyed tone.

"Hey - did I hear that right? You've got a ticket that can get him to do any one thing?" Natsumi demanded, glossing over the previous question.

"No. Shut up. That's not what I said at all." Fuyuhiko's attempts at playing cool clearly didn't convince his sister, as she narrowed her eyes slightly in accusation.

"Big brother," she began. Fuyuhiko gulped.

"Oh fuck here it is."

"You know how much I love you don't you? I would do anything for you. I've even kept your secret about that one time when you snuck-"

"AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" Fuyuhiko's yell drowned out whatever it was that Natsumi was aiming to say. Makoto was slightly disappointed- his curiosity peaked.

Fuyuhiko stood for a moment with trembling fists and gritted teeth in what looked more like fear than anger, until he let out a sigh.

"Ugh, fine. I'll never hear the fucking end of it otherwise. Oi Makoto listen up." Natsumi cheered in happiness, wrapping her arms around her beloved brother as he tried to pull away for a moment, eventually giving up.

"I'm using my ticket. You have to go on a date with my sister."

* * *

 **Soooo with the ending of this chapter, and the usage of Fuyuhiko's ticket, next chapter we will see the consequences! Any suggestions for ideas for the story (as long as they're PG) please feel free to comment or message me - I love hearing them and of course if I use one I'll credit whoever came up with it. Also let me know what you think of the end of the hiatus in the comments too! Remember, no spoilers for V3 please! I'm holding off on anything about it until the game comes out for us all to play! I'll see you guys next time in the continuation of The Unlucky Luckster! Peace out!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey guys, I'm back again! This chapter took much longer than I first anticipated it would because I really didn't know what I wanted to do in regards to the ending scene of this chapter, and once I finally decided what I wanted to do I spent some time decided how exactly I wanted to do it. In all honesty, I'm pretty happy with how this chapter ended up. Last chapter was kind of weak to me, but it was necessary for setting things and characters up for future events - one of these events occurring at the end of this chapter. I hope you guys like this chapter too! Enjoy!**

* * *

 **The Unlucky Luckster and the 77th Class - Chapter 14**

The bustling mall that Makoto had been taken to was filled with so many people it was suffocating. The bright colours of the myriad stores were in a complete dichotomy to the gloominess that enveloped everyone - pushing past each other in the large crowds with scowls on their faces.

Makoto, however, was not scowling. A wobbly smile barely held together on his face signified to any onlookers that the luckster was well and truly uncomfortable. His arms were stiff at his side - his breath slow, holding it often as if he was preparing himself from an oncoming onslaught.

Yes, Makoto Naegi was on a date.

Makoto stood at the centre of the mall, perched lightly on the edge of the fountain that adorned the area. It's cool breeze helped to calm Makoto slightly - yet one could submerge him entirely under the water and he would still be nervous. Nervous and wet. He'd rather be nervous and dry.

Not being very fashion-savvy, Makoto's repertoire of clothes were limited to his school uniform, and his casual clothes, consisting of his usual green hoodie. Today however, the Kuzuryu clan had graciously(?) provided the luckster with 'adequate' clothing for the occasion. This being the kind of suit one would expect to see at a wedding or such, tie having been done up so tight that what little breathing room Makoto had previously possessed had now dissipated.

He tugged at his collar in a futile attempt to lesson the strain he was feeling. Considering it, Makoto realised that a conversation in regards to his lack of wardrobe options had occurred between him and Sayaka a while back. She had offered to take Makoto out shopping to help him pick out new outfits. When Makoto responded by scratching his cheek and laughing nervously about how he currently lacked the funds to go clothes shopping, Sayaka immediately insisted on buying a new outfit for him herself - much to Makoto's surprise.

He tried to talk her down for a good while, but the idol would have none of it - giving Makoto a sly smirk when he finally admitted defeat. He didn't want to ask his parents for money, considering all of the money they had spent on tutors and equipment for Makoto, preparing him for the academic standards of Hope's Peak as he was finishing up his studies in Middle School.

Sayaka's generosity was another reason as to why she seemed to amazing - so radiant to Makoto. She was a girl so far above him, yet brought herself down to his level out of sheer kindness.

The luckster grew somber for a moment.

While reminiscing about the past, he had momentarily forgot the state their relationship was currently in.

Junko had managed to repeatedly damage their relationship - their friendship strained. Makoto knew that something had to be done to reclaim what was lost. He had to salvage their friendship no matter what - lest he allow Junko to drag one of his best friends into the pits of despair alongside her. Clenching his fists, Makoto vowed he would never allow that.

'Everything happened so fast. It's been two days since what happened with Maizono - and I wasn't even able to talk to her yesterday like I'd planned with the whole kidnapping thing. I'll have to make this date go as fast as possible - but I can't hurt Natsumi's feelings. If that happened I'm sure Junko would see her as another potential target...'

Makoto had become slightly stressed as of late. He was always one to concern himself over the wellbeing of others, and had proven himself adamant and unwavering in the face of Junko and her threat of despair. But it wasn't Junko herself that Makoto was afraid of. It was what she could do - her potential, and the effect she could have on people. She was Makoto's antithesis in every way - Makoto having the ability to spread hope and happiness, with Junko being able to spread despair and sadness.

He was starting to feel on-edge at all times. He had no idea when or where Junko and her despair would strike, or who would be the target. Makoto had laid awake pondering solutions for hours the previous night - but despite his promise to Junko that he would make her feel hope, he had no idea how he would put it into practice. If Junko saw it coming, his hope wouldn't have the effect it normally did on others. Makoto even questioned whether he had the right to make Junko feel hope in the first place. Would he really be any different than Junko if he forced his hope on her in the same way she forced her despair on others? These were the kinds of dilemmas Makoto was currently faced with.

He was well aware that eventually he would have to face Junko and her despair face on, but a new feeling had surfaced within him. He was...afraid. Of course he would never stand down to despair - and he was willing to throw himself into whatever harm may come his way to protect his friends, but the fact was that Makoto was scared. Scared of Junko's unpredictable nature. Scared of what she could have in store for him and his friends. But most of all, Makoto was scared of the possibility of failure on his part. What if Junko poisoned his friends with her despair, Makoto powerless against her ways? What if Makoto succumbed to despair himself? Who then would protect those he cared about?

'No. No, I'm letting her get into my head and stress me out. She won't win. I can't let her win. For the sake of everyone who I care about, I won't back down. Junko Enoshima, I will fight you head on.'

Until now Makoto had operated by waiting until Junko made a move, his plan to fix whatever problems the aftermath caused. Yet, what need would there be for a solution if you fix the source of the problems? He still didn't know if he had the right to try to make Junko feel hope, but in this case he felt that even if he was forcing his ideals onto her, hope was a much better ideal than despair. Without hope, the world would end. Without hope, humans push themselves to seek true happiness. Junko Enoshima does seek happiness. She seeks the most soul-crushing sorrow to have ever been produced. That is her pleasure. That is her 'happiness' - no matter how twisted and warped it may be. If Makoto could make her feel the happiness he is able to feel, then perhaps...

A shout pulled Makoto from his state of deep pondering.

"You're late!" The blonde pouted slightly as she shot a glare down towards the luckster.

Makoto managed a lopsided smile. "But I've been here for half an hour already..."

"A boy who gets to go on a date with me should be at least an hour early! But oh well. Aren't you going to tell me how nice I look?"

"O-oh, yeah you look really nice!"

Natsumi's eyes narrowed as is Makoto's answer wasn't good enough.

"What's with that getup?" She gestured to Makoto's out-of-place clothing with a slight grimace.

Makoto stammered to think up a respond. He didn't want to point any fingers at Fuyuhiko's decision - a decision he was very firm and proud of.

"I-I just thought that I should dress up nice for you...?" He peeked at Natsumi through half-closed eyes in anticipation of her response.

'Please don't yell at me please don't yell at me.'

"Hmm..." She appeared lost in thought in regards to Makoto's choice of clothing.

"Well whatever. Let's get going."

'I'm safe...' Makoto exhaled in relief.

* * *

"Gah...these bags...so...heavy..."

Makoto barely managed to choke out those words as he slowly and begrudgingly trailed behind Natsumi as she dipped and dived in and out of stores that Makoto didn't even know existed.

The pair were about to reach their next destination when Natsumi stopped Makoto.

"Hey. Come in with me for the next one. You're going to tell me how good I look in the clothes I try on." The luckster blinked.

'Oh yeah - we're on a date. I almost forgot.'

It seemed as if Natsumi realised the same, explaining her sudden shift in attitude.

She practically dragged poor Makoto into the store - but since his body was now made up of 95% bags, she just pulled on the nearest handle. To someone who wasn't in the know, they would assume that the luckster was a cluster of bags, yet underneath it all a very mentally and physically exhausted Makoto resided.

Much time passed. Makoto had no idea if it was dark outside yet. Eventually, Natsumi was ready.

"So? What do you think?"

She wore what Makoto could only describe as clothes. This is because they were very nondescript - a skirt and a top. Normal. Though the price tag would betray that notion.

Makoto thought for a moment. He knew that she didn't actually want his opinion - she just wanted him to say what she wanted to hear.

"You look..." His mind raced - desperately considering what word to use - the one word that would placate the young Yakuza.

"...nice?"

Nice. He went with nice.

It was almost as if Makoto's blood stopped flowing as he waited for a reaction. Time froze.

A whisper - barely audible, could be heard from Natsumi. Makoto had to lean in slightly to hear.

"Idiot."

'She's mad at me but also blushing at the same time. Huh. I didn't know that was possible. But at least she's happy?'

The moment passed and Natsumi grabbed the outfit Makoto had so vehemently complemented her on, taking it to purchase.

"Okay, I'm bored here. We're leaving."

"A-already?"

"There a problem with that?"

"Not at all!" Makoto was a man who valued his internal organs. He knew that if he made the Yakuza princess mad then those organs were essentially forfeit. His stomach churned at the thought.

Natsumi noticed Makoto clutching his stomach with a raised eyebrow.

"You hungry?"

'No I'm really really not. More like terrified. I might throw up.'

Of course Makoto knew he could only think that, not say it. He continued to adopt his 'whatever makes her happy' line of approach. He reasoned that it had worked so far - he was still alive and all his body parts were in their rightful place.

"S-sure am...haha...why don't we look for a cafe as we walk?" A cafe also means more people Makoto realised - much safer than the alleyways the pair were passing by. Alleyways in which someone could disappear and no one would ever know.

The luckster inwardly yelped as he continued along, trying his best to push negative thoughts out of his mind, focusing on whatever small beacon of positivity he could find in this situation.

The best he could come up with was 'at least I'm not dead.'

As the couple strolled down the street, Natsumi's focus on the clothing and apparel on offer in nearby stores, two heads peered out from the darkness of a nearby alleyway.

"Young master - why is it we are here? Do you not trust Makoto?"

"Of course I trust him - that guy couldn't hurt anything. And if he did I'm sure he'd cry about it for god knows how long. I'm here to make sure this thing goes well - Natsumi is my little sister, and this is Yakuza business."

"Yakuza business?" Peko quizzed, narrowing her eyebrows slightly.

Fuyuhiko grinned. "If things go well you could be looking at the newest addition to the Kuzuryu clan."

"Ah." Peko hadn't considered the prospect.

'Makoto's fluffy hair available at all times. Yes. This date must go well - at all costs.' Steeling her resolve, Peko's face became serious, resuming her observation with a sense of purpose.

And on the other side of the street in a similar alleyway...

"Junko - why are we here? You said something about Makoto?"

"Yep. He's on a date."

Mukuro's stoic expression cracked momentarily as a look of rage peered through, before returning to an eerie calm.

"...and we're going to make sure it goes as terribly as possible."

"I will do all that I can to assist." Mukuro, now having spotted Natsumi walking (as she saw it) dangerously close to Makoto, bore her eyes into the back of the blonde's head.

"Wow - I can almost smell the murderous intent coming off of you. Oh, wait no - that's just you smelling awful as always."

"But I just showered before we-"

"Blah blah blah less talking more ruining."

"Y-yes Junko..." Dejected, but not deterred, Mukuro stood by her sister as she devised a plan to break the potential couple up before anything could come of the date.

* * *

Makoto had never been on a 'date' before. He had been on things that one could constitute as a date - but nothing so official. Despite the fact that what he was doing was exactly the same as almost every other time he would go shopping with a girl, he couldn't help but feel the air surrounding the day held much more pressure than all of the previous times.

His hands were clammy - causing him to open and close them every few seconds. He felt like a self-conscious bundle of nerves - a far cry to his usual cheery self. Perhaps the worst part was that he didn't even know Natsumi. He found it odd how a girl that he had never even spoken to before seemed to take an interest in him.

Of course - Makoto was now aware of the rumours surrounding him within the reserve course. Tales of Makoto's kindness and the antics he would get caught up in (mostly due to his bad luck) made him somewhat of a celebrity in this block of Hope's Peak - with the students having no way to really interact with him unless they were in the main course. Perhaps this was what this was, Makoto pondered. Mere curiosity from Natsumi's end - which meant that this wasn't really a 'date' so to speak, but the meeting had just been given that label.

Thinking about his situation this way made Makoto calm down considerably. He still didn't know what Natsumi was really like - which added an unpredictable element to the day, but Makoto did enjoy getting to know people. Even the most prickly people like Togami or the most reserved like Kyouko had their walls broken down by him (yet Togami wouldn't admit this if his life depended on it).

The date continued, but Makoto couldn't help but notice that something was off. Things would almost go terrible, but would right themselves right at the last possible second.

For instance, the couple made their way to a rather expensive cafe to chat for a while - mainly because Makoto was about to drop from all of the bags he was being made to carry, and desperately needed a rest. When the waiter made his way over to them to serve their drinks, he seemingly slipped on nothing, but miraculously, the drinks that he had tossed up in the air as he fell landed perfectly on the tray he was holding.

Makoto could've sworn he saw a split-second glimpse of someone before the waiter fell, and once again as the drinks flew up in the air. Realising that was very unlikely, he chalked it up to his fluctuating luck.

Despite their drinks being completely intact, Natsumi still yelled at the waiter, berating him as Makoto watched on apologetically, slightly afraid.

From a nearby booth Fuyuhiko sighed in annoyance.

"What the hell was that?"

Peko, who had returned to her seat moments prior, scanned the cafe in search of someone.

"Someone here purposely aimed to make that waiter fall. I managed to fix the problem they caused, but they could strike again."

Elsewhere, Junko Enoshima looked down on her sister with a look that could only be described as 'pissed off'.

"Mukurooo?" She spoke in a sing-song voice, eye twitching slightly.

Mukuro twitched. Junko was not pleased.

* * *

Natsumi took a sip of her juice, setting it down as she studied Makoto for a few moments - Makoto himself oblivious as he sipped on his drink in silence.

Natsumi broke the silence.

"Hey."

"Hm?" Makoto responded with head tilt, straw still in his mouth.

Natsumi paused for a moment, as if considering her words - something that Makoto felt was uncharacteristic for the girl.

She picked up her drink, holding it listlessly, her attention focused outside the window situated next to her seat.

"Pretty much everyone in the reserve course acts like you're a celebrity." The way she said this was confusing for Makoto. He couldn't understand her intentions. Did he hear...bitterness...?

He decided he needed more information before he drew such a conclusion.

'That's what Kirigiri would do anyway.'

Makoto finished his drink before he responded.

"They do? Why?"

Natsumi's attention was still not on Makoto. She looked like she was thinking deeply about something. As if she was far away from him, yet close enough for him to touch.

"Don't get me wrong - the majority of the reserve course students detest the ultimates, but you - you represent the hope of a completely average person making it into Hope's Peak."

Makoto was going to ask a follow up question, but felt it right to wait and see how Natsumi would continue.

"In actuality, that's what drew me to you. Your talent is luck right? Well if I'm near you it stands to reason that I'd be lucky too, right?"

"Ah, um...I don't think it works that way. Besides I really have more bad luck than good luck whichever way you look at it..."

Natsumi clenched her fingers around her glass. It was on the verge of breaking. As was her patience.

"Are you saying that you won't share your luck with me...?"

Makoto was confused, his voice almost a whisper.

"Share my luck? I don't understand...why would you need luck? Do you perhaps...want to enrol in the main course...?" A shot in the dark, but Makoto could see in Natsumi's eyes that he had hit his mark.

He proceeded. "I don't think my luck will help you - it's not something I have power over anyway. U-um, besides - I bet if you work hard enough you'll be able to accomplish your goal!"

The luckster tried to inspire some hope into the girl across from him. Her expression showed that he was unsuccessful.

"What would you know about that!? You're in the main course! You made it to the place I want to be in more than anything - and the worst part is that you made it there by luck!"

Makoto knew he needed a new approach, fast. A few people on nearby tables were beginning to watch the pair. If being optimistic wouldn't work, then Makoto would have to appeal to Natsumi's personal nature - and Makoto knew exactly where to strike.

"Would getting into the main course by luck really satisfy you? I don't think so. From what I've seen, you're a very proud person. I don't think your pride would let you receive something so easily - something you didn't work for. That wouldn't put you on equal footing with Fuyuhiko."

Natsumi's pride seemed to be what had most of the power over her, Makoto hoped that

"So that's supposed to make me feel better? It doesn't change anything. All that matters is that you're there and I'm not. And by the looks of it I never will be..."

Tears began to form around Natsumi's eyes - Makoto reaching an unsure hand forward, retracting it as her anger grew more fervent.

"I tried so hard to be recognised. I did everything I could, but they still say I'm not good enough! Where do you get off talking like you know me and what I've been through when no one in your life has told you that you're not good enough!? You have everything you could ever want - a place in the most prestigious school in the world, everyone wants to be your friend, and you even have my brother paying more attention to you than he does to me!"

He was stunned. No counter-argument or even so much as a response formulated itself in Makoto's head. How could it, as Natsumi had told the truth, and Makoto knew this.

Seeing that Makoto had no rebuttal, Natsumi continued to speak, this time her tone was much calmer, but held feelings of strain.

"If you can't help me, I'll have to go to _her_."

'Her? Who could she be...'

...

'No. No it can't be...'

"She told me you'd be of no use. I should've listened to her from the start."

Makoto's heartbeat began to increase at an alarming pace. He could see Natsumi beginning to fall right in front of him - her hope slipping through his fingers.

She stood up, eyes hidden from Makoto. If he had to guess, he'd assume she was crying. She ran off. As she passed Junko unknowingly, the fashionista giggled.

"Well, looks like the date ended up ruining itself. I hate it when things go exactly as I thought they would. So boring. Step your game up Makoto."

She motioned to Mukuro to follow her out of the cafe, Mukuro staying still for a brief second, her focus on Makoto.

"Ah -"

'It didn't work. I couldn't give her hope.'

Makoto sat there in a trance for a few seconds, devoid of thought.

'N-no - I can't give up! I have to protect everyone from _her!_ She - she can't have her way, or else she'll-'

Makoto was having a panic attack. In the middle of a cafe. Everyone around him was staring at him after the spectacle that had occurred prior. The luckster promptly stood up from his chair and quickly made his way to the bathroom.

A few splashes of water against his face managed to slightly calm him down, but Makoto was still having trouble controlling his breathing.

The recurring nightmare that Makoto thought himself rid of flashed in his mind. He felt faint - his world spinning. As he slumped to the floor in a haze, he heard the door of the bathroom open.

"Christ Makoto, the fuck happened?" Fuyuhiko aimed the question at no-one in particular, the luckster already passed out in front of him.

* * *

Evening had come - this was the time in which most Hope's Peak students would return to their dormitories - or in the case of the reserve course students, their respective homes.

One of these students, Sato, was making her way out of the Hope's Peak dorms, having spent most of the day with her close friend and Class 77 member, Mahiru Koizumi. After seeing she got back to her room safely, (Sato's overprotectiveness of Mahiru manifesting in this way) she began her trek home, crossing past the water fountain, its illumination being the only source of nearby light.

After walking for a while to reach here, Sato contemplated taking a quick rest on a nearby bench, but was stopped as she heard a sound. A laugh, of sorts.

"Upupupu~"

From the shadows, she made her presence known.

"Oh Satoooooo~" Junko's sing-song voice purred in an overly-innocent manner.

"Y-you're!?"

"Thats right! Queen Junko has arrived!"

"Q-queen?"

"You dare doubt me peasant? Ah, my bad - slip of the tongue. I totes wanted to talk to you!"

She gave off a harmless smile - betrayed by her words. Everything she said was venomous - poison to those who had the misfortune of being her victim. She had mastered the act of whispering sweet nothings to people - gaining their trust and assuring them she wanted only the best for them - when in reality, her duplicity showed in her chuckles upon receiving a new pawn.

Sato put her guard up.

"Why would you want to talk to me?

Junko's smile began to change. It transitioned from harmless, to distorted, frightening. Piercing.

"I have something I think you're going to want to hear..."

As with her smile, Junko's tone changed too, becoming low and ominous.

"...about your dear friend Mahiru."

Junko threw a photo on the ground in-front of Sato. The girl hesitated at first, but a small 'go on' from Junko prompted her to take a step forward to examine it.

What she saw broke her.

The photograph depicted Mahiru Koizumi - bruised and slumped over.

Sato opened and closed her mouth a few times - lost for words, barely able to process the information Junko was providing her with.

"When - when did this...? I saw her today! She was fine half an hour ago!"

The blonde feigned shock.

"I have no idea! But it happened. What are you gonna do?" Junko shrugged.

"She'll be okay. She's currently in the hospital. Well, I say 'okay' but really who knows what kind of internal damage she could have. Ahh, poor girl." Junko didn't even pretend to care this time, but Sato didn't even notice.

"Who... **WHO DID THIS!?** "

A blind rage swept through Sato. She ground her teeth together, practically growling from the sheer force of anger she felt.

"Oh I think you know who."

"She wants to get into Hope's Peak's main course reaaaaal bad. I guess she thought that if she got rid of one of the students, she could take her place."

Junko leaned in close to Sato, eyes sharp and cruel.

"Know anyone who fits the bill?"

Realisation hit Sato like a truck.

"Th-that Bitch...she'd always...she'd always try to...Mahiru...I have to protect her..."

"It's a bit late for that, don't you think? I mean, look at her." Junko thrust the photograph back into Sato's face, the girl wanting to look away, but her eyes remained locked on the photo. Every time she would give the photo a once-over, she would find a new wound on the body of her best friend. It was breaking her.

" **THEN WHAT CAN I DO!?** " Sato screamed in sheer desperation. Sheer despair.

Junko smile grew as wide as it could.

"Easy. Get revenge."

* * *

"See, I'm pretty sure I told you to 'rough her up good'. All I see here are a few bruises. Where's the blood!? The cuts!? The scars!?" Junko was very vocal of her disapproval. Also very physical - roughing her sister up in frustration.

"You missed your chance to inflict some real despair on that Ma-whatevershe'scalled chick!"

Her eyes narrowed.

"You weren't holding back on purpose, were you Mukuro?

"...of course not!"

"Did I just hear hesitation?"

"N-not at all!"

There was a pause. A bead of sweat fell down from Mukuro's forehead.

"...well whatever. The job is done, and really it's my fault for expecting more from such a pathetic sister. You made sure she didn't see your face, right?"

"O-of course Junko! Just like you said!"

Everything was progressing smoothly.

* * *

"Get up Makoto."

The luckster woke to the interior of a limousine. It didn't take long for him to piece together who it belonged to. He looked down. His suit was gone - replaced by his usual clothes which had been forcefully swapped prior.

He looked up.

Fuyuhiko sat across from him, Peko only a few seats down.

Makoto couldn't tell if he was concerned or furious with him. The Yakuza didn't break eye-contact for a second.

"Get out. There's a lot of things I want to talk to you about, but like damn am I gonna get any coherent fucking answers from you right now."

To come from Fuyuhiko, Makoto could tell this was an extreme courtesy. He was willing to bet that if it had been anyone else, Fuyuhiko might've reconsidered allowing their head to remain attached to their body.

The luckster nodded in appreciation, breaking the uncomfortable eye-contact as he opened the nearest door, and stepped out into the night.

The limo sped off, Makoto's tension not lifting until it was out of sight.

As he traversed the campus on his way to his dorm room, Makoto thought about why he had woken in such a place. The last memory he had was of him passing out in the bathroom. The mere memory made him pause for a moment in order to calm himself.

'They must've been following me from the start. It stands to reason - Natsumi is his little sister after all. I know if Komaru went on a date I'd want to make sure she was being treated right. Don't think I'd follow her though..."

By the time he finished piecing his theory together, Makoto was close to his room. He approached the final corner that separated him from the rest that he so desired. His body ached from all the bags he had to carry - he could only imagine how long it took for Fuyuhiko to transport all of them to the limo.

Makoto turned the corner with a sigh, looking up and stopping dead in his tracks.

A glimpse of blue flashed in the corner of Makoto's eyes.

There, across from his room, a girl leaned against the wall. She was unmistakable.

Sayaka Maizono.

The dim light above them accentuated her natural beauty, making her look like some sort of holy visage paying the luckster a visit.

Makoto took in a deep breath as he mentally prepared himself for the coming confrontation.

"Sayaka!

The idol appeared shaken as she whipped around to face the one who had called her name.

"M-Makoto..."

'It's now or never I guess...'

Makoto strode over to the idol, newfound resolve pushing his earlier worry out of his mind for the moment.

"Listen, about Junko-"

Sayaka visibly took a step back once that name was uttered.

"She...she said you hate me..."

"No, that's wrong! She lied!" Makoto desperately attempted to convey the truth to the shaken girl.

"But still...that you two kissed...I..."

The mere recollection made Sayaka look ill. Her usual bright and smiling face contorted into a scowl - emitting a foreign feel to it for all who were familiar with her.

"What's so wrong about the fact that Junko and I kissed?"

'Apart from the reason that it was completely against my will and super scary...' Makoto thought.

"You...you're serious?" Sayaka's expression became frightening. Her eyes were wide open, but unfocused and without the usual life they contained. She was looking right at Makoto, but it was if she didn't even see him standing right there in front of her.

"I'm sorry if I did something to annoy or hurt you - but I just can't see a correlation here. It's probably me being dense, but as long and as hard I think about it, I just don't know..."

Makoto couldn't even finish before she exploded.

" **YOU'RE MINE! NOT THAT SMUG BITCH'S! SHE DOESN'T KNOW A THING ABOUT YOU - SHE HASN'T WATCHED YOU FOR AS LONG AS I HAVE!** "

"S-Sayaka, what are you-?"

" **YOU EVEN WENT ON A DATE WITH THAT TALENTLESS NOBODY WHO YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW. I'VE FOLLOWED YOU SINCE MIDDLE SCHOOL! AM I NOT GOOD ENOUGH? IS THAT NO-NAME BITCH GOING TO TAKE YOU AWAY FROM ME!?"**

"Y-you're wrong! It's not like that between us, I swear! I was just getting to know her and-"

" **STOP LYING! YOU LOVE HER DON'T YOU!?** "

"Love her!? Wha- no! Sayaka, what's going on with you!? Why are you-"

It hasn't set off anything in Makoto's mind when he first heard Sayaka mention Natsumi, but now reflecting on what she had said, it struck a chord with Makoto. Something didn't add up.

"W-wait...'followed me since Middle School'? Also Sayaka, how did you know about Natsumi...?" Makoto questioned in a shaky voice.

"Ah...ahh..." Snapping out of her rage-like trance, Sayaka immediately realised her mistake.

"Sayaka..."

The idol looked up to the luckster with a fearful expression - knowing what Makoto would say next, but begging - pleading him in her mind to not say it. Anything but that.

"Are you...stalk-" She wouldn't let him continue. She wouldn't let him make such a mistake. He just didn't understand. She would make him understand.

Sayaka slammed Makoto into the wall as she kissed him. He yelped - trying his hardest to pull away. This wasn't right. None of this was right. The girl in front of him wasn't the Sayaka he knew - but a emotionally manipulated pawn of Junko Enoshima.

The strength of Sayaka's grip was astounding. Makoto was nowhere near someone who one would describe as 'strong', but the sheer pressure Sayaka placed onto Makoto's wrists as she held them above his head with a single hand was so powerful that Makoto couldn't break free. It was like a vice.

"It's fine if I do this right!? That thieving bitch has already done it twice in front of me already - it's my turn now! You're mine and mine alone Makoto!"

A small voice came from the boy as Sayaka leant back in, all but preventing him from speaking.

"Some...one...hel...p..."

In a split-second, Sayaka pulled away from Makoto. For a few moments, she didn't move or speak. She simply stared at Makoto - dumbfounded.

" _Help? Makoto, did you just ask someone for help?_ " Sayaka's voice became low. Threatening.

" _You mean to say you aren't enjoying yourself_?"

"H-huh...?"

" _So she's dug her nails this far into you. My poor, sweet Makoto, don't you see what she's done to you? She's infected you._ "

"Sayaka, no! You're the one who's been..." Makoto stopped. She wasn't listening. It was if she couldn't even hear a word he said.

A dangerous red nail stroked Makoto's cheek lovingly.

" _Don't worry. I'll save you from her._ "

Her eyes.

Those wide, engulfing swirls.

The once beautiful cerulean pools that glistened with hope, now a murky maelstrom that held no light - only darkness.

Makoto wanted to scream - he would have were he not so entranced and paralysed with fear.

Those eyes.

Those were the eyes of...

...someone in despair.

...

...

" _ **I love you, Makoto...**_ "

...

...

* * *

 **Time for some context for Sayaka and what I'm trying to do/convey with her and her role in the story so far:**

 **I see Sayaka as a very emotionally unstable girl - in part due to the cut-throat industry she's in, which no doubt takes a huge toll on her emotionally and psychologically. As a result I feel that Makoto would be someone who she inevitably latches onto due to his unconditional kindness which could lead to her feeling like she 'needs' him no matter what - and feeling threatened that her form of stability may be taken from someone else.**

 **She is aware of Kyouko's feelings for Makoto, but doesn't view her as a threat, as the prospect of Makoto getting together with another girl was something that she always refused to accept, and never even considered it. After she saw the thing with Junko at the sports festival, behind the scenes Sayaka has been breaking down - which I might expand on later. So as a result of Junko's actions in the dormitory hallway two chapters ago, Sayaka has been pushed over the brink.**

 **I do feel that Sayaka is a very fragile character, and that's something I wanted to put forth mainly in this chapter, in which everything culminates much like how Sayaka snaps suddenly in the game and attempts murder.**

 **So yeah that's pretty much my thought process and justification of how and why Sayaka is the way she is here.**

 **Moving on from that, you should head over to archive of our own to check out the story there, as I'm able to easily reply to any comments there, which would be great so I can answer any questions or reply to any criticisms or opinions you guys have.**

 **I'd love to hear from you guys on both this website and AO3, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this chapter - as we're starting to get into pretty deep and potentially dark stuff. Do you like this direction? Hate it? Also, we're close to the release of V3! Please remember to not spoil anything - even after the game is out, as it doesn't come out at the same time worldwide. Thanks a ton for reading, and I'll see you all next time. Peace out!**


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